Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 53 of ?
Summary: The road to One Piece is a dangerous one and each individual begins at different times and places. Some paths cross for a fleeting moment but the encounter could be so great that it can alter the initial direction. Every meeting is important and is planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other. Follow everyone's story and see what path they take.
Disclaimer: I do not make any profit from this story; all props go to Eiichiro Oda.
Author Note: It's game day! I'm not really a fan of either team BUT I guess alliances can go towards the Falcons. We shall see who wins. Hope half-time is gonna be good. Be careful out there if you're tailgating and whatnot!
Shout Outs: Thanks to everyone who viewed the last chapter!
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!
Brook
Light invaded Brook's senses and he clenched his boney fingers at the torn, unstuffed pillow cradling his bushy afro. The skeleton stretched and a long grunt passed through his light brown teeth, turning into a happy sigh when his spine finally popped. The captain rolled over, his gaze immediately searching the wall in front of him for an unmarked space. He made a noise of triumph as he leaned over and grabbed the violin bow lying against the bed. Using the screw end, he drew a tally mark, tracing the tip of his finger gently over the marred wood.
Another day.
The pirate looked around the dimly lit room, sighing at the markings that covered the walls around him. He continued to carve the wood every morning even though he'd long ago lost count of the days he'd spent alone, drifting endlessly on the open ocean. The musician rose from his bed and sauntered over to the worn garment cabinet stationed in the corner of the room. When he was closer to it, his exposed phalanges linked around the cool metal handles, pulling the large doors open. Tattered clothes greeted him and he removed the least ragged amongst them, closing the oak cabinet with a soft click.
Still half asleep, Brook donned the threads, tsking under his breathe when they hung loose off his boney frame. Slipping on his shoes, the undead departed from his sleeping chambers, but not without grabbing his cane from beside his bed first. Still upholding his captain duties, he walked through the dusty halls of the once-lively ship, checking that everything was as he'd left it the previous night. His footsteps halted and he looked up at the massive empty space on the wall. Long ago, he'd taken all the mirrors, along with anything else that he could see his reflection in, and tossed them overboard. It was only him on the ship now, who cared what he looked like?
Besides…
He was scared of the reflection that looked back at him.
Brook began humming a song, his purple cane bouncing to the beat as he thought up ways to keep himself entertained for the day. Speaking of the day, for some reason, today felt different. The ship's groans echoing around in his skull didn't frighten him as much. The smell of the dead wasn't as unbearable.
Brook passed by a window just before the sun shone through the clouds invaded the dark hall. A heavy sigh came from the once-man, he'd missed the heat of the sun on his bones. Black curls bounced when he shook his head at the thoughts of the shadow he no longer had. He rubbed the base of the wounded eye socket– thank the gods he didn't have a brain or Ryuma's strike would have been the death of him. The pain there had dulled away a couple of days ago, and soon he would be ready to go back and face the samurai. With the general zombie on his mind, the musician decided to take a different path to the galley, walking the empty corridors and nodding his head to any crewmates he came across. They lay where they had fallen at death– the former captain didn't have it in his heart to move them. Aged bones clanked when his hand rested atop where his stomach used to be; the faint feeling of hunger always gnawed at him. The ship's food supply had long since rotted away and there was nothing to curb the pain. All that was left on the ship was water and old tea leaves.
Arriving at the galley, Brook grunted as he pushed open the seemingly heavy doors to enter the spacious room. The low sound of the door shutting pulled a tsk from him; everything seemed much more burdensome now he was only bones. Passing by a line of chairs, Brook grabbed the first one his hand touched and slid it over to the stove. He held up his cane and slowly revealed the hidden sword from its sheath. A few precise strokes later and the chair was cut to little wooden pieces. With his kindle ready, the skeleton threw the logs into the inner chamber of the stove, setting them ablaze before placing a teapot filled with water on the front burner afterwards.
He glanced out the window, watching the newly falling rain drops cascade down the glass while he waited for the murky liquid to boil. He shuffled over to the massive table where his nakama use to eat and placed a sea shell down on its dusty top. He pressed the button in the center of the gray pod and laughter filled his noggin. The boney face couldn't display the smile he felt form as music began to play from the dial and he danced around the room, humming to the song.
The tea kettle sang the song of its kind and Brook waltz to the stove to prepare his drink. He was almost done making his tea when the ship tilted, causing various items to slide around the room. When the wave passed, the disgruntled skeleton cleaned up the mess that was made, muttering under his breath before exiting the galley with his leafy beverage in hand. Careful of the bones littering the stairs, he made his way up to the deck of the ship, breathing in the cold, salty air. The rain had left the deck slippery and, for some strange reason, he fell on his ass more now that he was only bones than he used to when he was alive.
Brook looked up at the moldy sails and sighed, "Perhaps tea in the crow's nest."
A song popped up in his head and he began humming the tune, occasionally singing, "Yo ho ho ho" as he leisurely walked towards the main mast of the ship. A faint noise ceased all sounds from the skeleton and he froze in place. He squinted, peering through the heavy fog out onto the sea.
Is… someone there?
Some ways away from the ship was another vessel, smaller in comparison to his own. He could hear the noises coming from the boat and he cocked his head to the side, "Yo ho ho, more drifters at sea…"
B
Black waves smashed against the side of the Thousand Sunny, forcing her passengers to sway to stay steady on their feet. It took them from sun up till sun down to successfully navigate through turbulent winds and high waters that almost caused their ship to capsize. The Straw Hats took in their surroundings while they caught their breaths. When the waters became placid, Nami pulled a spyglass out of her pocket and began to scan the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Do you see anything?!" she yelled up to Zoro.
The speakers on the crow's nest made an eerie noise before the swordsman's deep voice sounded, "It's too dark. Can't see shit."
Chopper tugged on Luffy's shorts, "Want me to get some candles for the lanterns?"
"Not yet." The hairs on Luffy's arms raised as goosebumps covered him. He jumped onto the gunwale, excitement rushing through him. He didn't know what it was but something was out there. Grabbing onto the nearest rope, he leaned out as far as he dared, "Anyone see anything?"
"Oh my god."
Usopp squinted as he peered out through the fog, "What did you see, Nami?"
She looked over her shoulder at Franky, "Did you see what I saw?"
The faint whirling of circuits could be heard as the cyborg zoomed in on the massive figure floating in and out of the shadows ahead, "I think it's a ship."
As those words left his mouth, the moon peeked out from behind some clouds, gracing those below with light. The Straw Hats' breaths were taken away as an enormous vessel passed by the Sunny. Calling upon Gomu, Luffy stretched out his arm as far as it could go. He grinned when his fingers just barely grazed across the built-up algae on the ship. Snapping his arm back in place, he turned to face his crew with stars in his eyes, "I'm going on the boat!"
"Hell no, Luffy!" Usopp protested, "Anything could be on it!"
The captain smiled, "Exactly."
Usopp rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in the air, "Zoro, tell him he's not going on the ship."
"Well," Zoro started while digging around in his pocket, "I can't tell him what to do; but," he withdrew a handful of straws, "I can say which of you are going with him."
Over the various shouts of objections, Luffy grabbed his first mate's attention, "Hey, I don't need anyone to go with me."
"Yeah, you do."
"I agree with the marimo. We gotta make sure you don't do anything…" Sanji trailed off, waving his cigarette around as he searched for the word he wanted to use.
Chopper pulled his hat down, "Stupid?"
Sanji nodded and Robin chuckled softly from her seat on the swing when Luffy whined a "Hey!" She walked over to Zoro, plucking a straw from his grasp, "Well, what are we waiting for?"
The remainder of the crew followed the archeologist's lead, holding up their straws when they were all picked. Franky looked around, chuckling, persuading Luffy to look over his shoulder back at his nakama, "Who's coming?"
Nami paled slightly, soft laughs coming from her as she looked up from the piece of grain in her hand, "Usopp," she quickly turned to the sharpshooter, "don't you–"
"Nope. Bye, Nami."
Franky burst out in laughter when Nami's jaw dropped at the rejection. The ever-loyal Sanji stepped forward with a hand over his heart, "Never fear, Nami-san; I'll protect you!"
Luffy let out a 'shishishi', "What's wrong, Nami? You don't want treasure?"
Said woman threw the straw at Luffy, growling when it didn't travel far enough to hit him, "You don't even know if there's treasure on that ship! Besides, someone should stay behind to make sure we don't drift away from the boat."
As if hearing her complaints, the wind stopped blowing and the water stilled. Robin let out another chuckle when Nami pointed her middle finger to the sky before stomping over to Luffy, "Fine, but there had better be some treasure!"
B
Boney fingers gripped the small teacup tightly to keep it from falling from the skeleton's grasp. There were people boarding his ship.
Or…
Maybe…
Maybe I made them up in my head.
Brook leaned over the railing of the ship, peering down, hoping what he saw wasn't really what he saw. A low gasp escaped him as listened to the trio argue, something about treasure and ghosts.
He tilted his head to the side in confusion, "There are no ghosts here."
Three sets of eyes all focused in on the owner of the voice, freezing the Straw Hats in their climb. Brook squealed and quickly squatted down, hoping they hadn't seen him. A long scream of "No!" danced on the breeze and the undead slapped his forehead. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. He hastily retreated deeper into the shadows, observing the three intruders as they continued to make their way up to the deck.
The smaller one of the trio looked around, stepping further onto the rotted ship, "Hello?!"
Nami slapped Luffy's arm, "Be quiet!" she harshly whispered, "Let's just check out the ship and go."
Sanji patted his breast pocket down, searching for a smoke, "Did my eyes deceive me or did I see a walking skeleton?"
"Yeah! I saw it too! Let's go find it!"
Brook took tentative steps towards the arguing group. They seem amicable enough. Taking a deep breath, the musician tightened the grip he had on his cane and approached the living, "And a good day to you!"
Nami screamed at the new voice, leaping behind Sanji. Seeing that he'd frightened one of them, Brook waved his unoccupied hand in the air, "Sorry for earlier!" Hollow eye sockets turned towards Luffy, "Our eyes locked, but I wasn't able to give a proper greeting. You gave me quite a start." Nervous at the lack of replies, he began to ramble, "How many decades have passed since I saw people in the flesh? Every ship I run across seems to be a ghost ship! It's dreadful!"
The old boat let out a groan, dragging a sigh from Brook as he traced his jaw bone in thought, the pirates before him continuing their stand of silence. Maybe it's impossible for me to be among the living again. His gaze shifted to the grinning boy in the straw hat and his breath hitched. He reminds me so much of Yorki. A soft chuckle came from the skeleton and he extended his hand out to the table near him, "Feel free to make yourselves comfortable. We can enjoy a nice leisurely conversation over tea."
Luffy eyes beamed when he turned to his nakama, "Look, he's talking! The skeleton has an afro and he's talking!"
The long-forgotten smoke dangled from between Sanji's lips, bouncing as he muttered to himself, "I can't believe it."
While the pair spoke amongst themselves, Brook inched closer to look at the woman cowering behind the blond. "Oh my," he whispered. It had been years since he had been in the presence of an attractive woman. He approached the orange haired beauty slowly, so she wouldn't be frightened further by his appearance, "My eyes follow the beautiful lady– but I am a skeleton, so I don't have eyes!"
Brook took another step towards the maiden, but the man with the curly brow hindered him from going any closer. He chuckled a "Yo ho ho" as he walked over to the nailed-down table, propped his cane against it, and set down his tea. Removing the hanky from his breast pocket, the tall man leaned down to wipe his scuffed shoes, further smudging the dirt already on them. After making sure he was as presentable as he could be, he walked up to Nami, ignoring the warnings coming from the other male. He crouched down so he could look her in her eyes as he asked, "May I see your panties?"
It took a moment for the question to process but when it did, Nami let out an offended noise from the back of her throat. She pushed Sanji out of the way as she raised her leg and delivered a kick upside the skeleton's skull, "No way!"
The force of the kick had Brook stumbling about, trying to regain his footing so he didn't fall. Once his world was no longer shaken he laughed, "My, my! You're harsh!" he rubbed the side of his head, "That made my bones rattle– though that's not very difficult, especially since I'm a skeleton!"
When he laughed at his own joke, Nami's eye twitched as she felt her patience wear thin, "Shut up!"
Luffy held onto his hat as he cackled at the pair, grinning when Gomu brushed happily against him.
He's perfect!
The teen nodded his head, already on the same page as the rubber devil. He sized up his new nakama, "Hey!"
Brook ended his banter with Nami, focusing on the boy, "Yes?"
"Do you poop?"
As soon as the question left Luffy's lips, Sanji's foot was plastering itself to the teens face, sliding him a little ways across the wet deck. The cook huffed, "There are a boatload of questions that should be asked before that!"
Taking a moment to retrieve his cane, Brook answered the question with the same seriousness with which it was asked, "Yes, I poop."
Sanji and Nami whirled around to the boney man, "Don't take so long to answer his question!"
A hollow laugh filled the dead pirate's ears and he looked over his shoulder at Yomi leaning against one of the masts. Seems we found a loyal crew. Brook chuckled as he observed the trio. His relationship with his devil had become odd after his death. Instead of the normal quiet voice he'd gotten used to hearing every so often, he now saw the devil in his personified form. Maybe it was because he walked a little closer to the Death God than before. Strangely enough, the devil appeared to look just like his former fleshy self, but… that could just be the devil playing tricks on him.
Sanji interrupted Luffy's whining, "Who cares if he poops!" He thrusted a finger at Brook, who'd taken back to sipping at his tea, firing off questions at him, "For starters, why are you alive and talking when you're nothing but bones? What the heck are you? What are you doing here? What happened on this ship? What's the story behind this sea?" Blackleg tapped his shoes against the deck, ready to stomp the skeleton back to the depths of hell he'd crawled from, "Answer my questions!"
Before the situation could get out of hand, Luffy step between the two men, "Wait! Putting that stuff aside…" he stared into empty eye sockets, a smile slowly morphing onto his features, "Join my crew!"
Brook hooked his cane on his arm and sipped down the remainder of his tea, "Yeah, okay."
The current Straw Hat members stared in disbelief at their captain, their eyes frantically darting between him and their newest nakama, "What the shit, Luffy?!"
Yay! Brook has been introduced! His laugh makes me chuckle. Thank you all for reading and I hope you are still enjoying the story. Please stay tune for next chapter: Don Quixote Rosinante - Huredhiel