SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 107 out, this is Chapter 108 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ace/Sasha, sibling Luffy/Sasha and Sabo/Sasha, patriotic-retainer Law/Sasha

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC, the pairing and the fic idea.

Chapter 108: Arc 9: The Joy of Seeing People! The Gentleman Skeleton's True Identity!

"Nice to meet you, everyone!" Brook greeted the rest of the crew once the group returned to the Thousand Sunny. "Goo evening to you all. I will be under your care for the rest of your adventures aboard this ship. I am the dead, pure-bone Brook. Glad to work with you."

"Don't mess with me!" Zoro, Usopp, Chopper and Franky chorused. "What is he?"

"How harsh." Brook joked. "What beautiful ladies." he approached Sasha and Robin. "Would you mind letting me see your panties?"

"Stop the sexual harassment, you damn skeleton!" Nami tossed her boot at Brook.

"Usopp, isn't that a bit... over the top?" Sasha asked, the sniper appearing with a ofuda banner on his back, a string of garlic on his neck, a string of prayer beads in one hand and a cross in the other.

"It's not!" Usopp objected. "There's no way a moving, talking afro skeleton should exist."

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro glared. "What the hell is he?"

"He is funny, right?" Luffy grinned. "He became our nakama."

"He so did not." Zoro retorted. "Like I would let that happen. You guys." he turned to Sanji and Nami. "For what purpose did you even go? Wasn't it for you to stop Luffy's idiocy from beserking?"

"I am ashamed." Sanji and Nami muttered.

"Don't get so angry." Brook soothed. "Let's all go into the kitchen and have a hearty dinner."

"You don't decide!" Zoro, Sanji and Nami snapped.

"This is hilarious!" Luffy burst out laughing.

"Aniki, what do I do with you?" Sasha moaned.

"I am really looking forward to your cooking." Brook admitted in the dining hall. "It has been over a decade since I have eaten anything decent. It became so painful that the back of my stomach and my back were almost indistinguishable." he flopped his head onto the table. That was the kind of life I live for so many years. Then again, I am a skeleton so I don't have a stomach or back." he showed the crew his rib-cage. Skull joke! Since I am a gentleman, I can wait for food well." he adjusted his bow-tie. "I admire people who can wait for food patiently regardless of their hunger. I know it is slightly late, but your name is...?" he turned to Luffy.

"I am Luffy." Luffy beamed. "By the way, what are you?"

"It is done." Sanji laid the table.

"The Yomi Yomi Fruit?" Nami echoed after dinner was eaten.

"So it was a Devil Fruit after all." Franky noted.

"That is right." Brook confirmed. "The fact of the matter is, I did die a few decades back. The Yomi Yomi Fruit allows you to come back to life. More accurately, you become a 'Revivable Man'. It is a strange power that gives you the ability to live two lives."

"So it is a power that will bring back a person who has died once, to life?" Franky summarized.

"Yes," Brook confirmed. "Just like you guys, I was once a pirate too. A long time ago, me and my comrades were sailing on that ship I was just on, and we all entered this demonic sea. But we had poor luck and came across an insanely powerful opponent at sea. In the battle, my entire crew was destroyed. Of course, I died as well. Because of the Yomi Yomi Fruit, I remained alive, but I was basically just an unmoving fixture, but soon afterwards, the Devil Fruit's power activated. My soul returned from the Netherworld to this one. If I had been able to return to any body quickly enough, I should be able to recover, but the sea in which I died in was dark and with such thick fog, so I was lost! Therefore, I kept traveling through the fog for an entire year. Finally, I was able to find my body. But by the time I got there, my body had become a skeleton. I was so surprised to see that my eyes had become sockets. Not that I have eyes to see them with."

"So therefore, a living skeleton appeared." Franky concluded. "Even though you were just bones, you still returned to life. More importantly, Devil Fruits are scary things to mess with."

"Also, now that the fruit has completed it's duty and granted your wish, you remain stuck like this." Sanji added. "In my opinion, it is still a half curse."

"Anyway, you are not a ghost, right?" Usopp stammered.

"Have you ever looked in a mirror?" Nami held out a hand mirror at Brook.

"No, a mirror!" Brook panicked. "Stop it!"

"Oi..." Usopp gaped when he saw Brook was missing his reflection in the handheld mirror. "Why aren't you visible in the mirror?"

"VAMPIRE!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Look at him carefully!" Usopp pointed to the ground. "You don't even have a shadow!"

"I guess I will tell you everything in one shot." Brook sat back down and sipped his tea. "I was traveling about in this sea for too many months. Thus, I became a skeleton. The reason I don't have a shadow is for a completely different reason. My shadow was stolen from me a few years back by a certain man. Also, because I don't have a shadow, I can't exist in sunlight. If I am in a place where there is sunlight, I can't continue to exist. Right now, because of the darkness and thick fog, I am somehow alive."

"If for some reason you are exposed to sunlight, what will happen?" Robin asked.

"If I am caught by sunlight directly, my body will be destroyed." Brook replied. "It is because of this that I have no visible shadow. As a direct result, my appearance is not visible in pictures or mirrors. You were the one who requested that I become your nakama," he turned to Luffy. "But unfortunately, I must refuse."

"Why?" Luffy demanded.

"As I stated before, my shadow was stolen and my body cannot survive along with the sun." Brook explained. "Right now, I am being protected by this demonic sea fog. But if I left with you guys, it would just be a matter of time before my body is destroyed. I will stay here and wait for a miraculous day in which I can recover my body."

"What lame ass attitude is that?" Luffy snapped. "If your shadow is needed, I will recover it. You said someone stole it from you. Who was it? Where are they?"

"I won't tell you." Brook refused. "I can't ask someone I just met to die for my sake."

"Is it because the enemy is too strong?" Franky asked.

"No," Brook replied. "You probably would never meet him. I don't know when this second life of mine will end, but anyways, let us sing a song." he took out his violin. "Music is very important to me. On my previous ship, I was the musician."

"Really?" Luffy gushed. "You are a musician? Please, become my nakama."

"I knew it..." Sasha bemoaned. "Brook?" she blinked when she saw the skeleton pause.

"Ghost..." Brook fell on his backside as one of Perona's Ghost Network's ghastly scouts emerged from one of the dining room's walls.

"What is with this movement?" Zoro asked when the ship rattled after the ghost left.

"It couldn't be..." Brook ran out. "How could this happen?" he flung the door open. "Was this ship being watched? Take a look." he told the rest of the crew who had also rushed out. "The front entrance has already been closed. That weird movement was a result of this."

"What's going on here?" Zoro questioned, seeing the giant barrier in front of them.

"It looks like the backside of the gate." Brook noted. "Which means..." he ran to the back of the ship. "Please come and look at the rear of the ship."

"What is going on?" Nami asked, the rest following the skeleton.

"Could you guys have picked up a barrel that you found at sea, by any chance?" Brook asked Luffy.

"Ah, that..." Sasha recalled.

"That was a trap." Brook informed. "Ever since then, this ship has been targeted. That is the wandering 'Ghost Island', Thriller Bark." he stated as Thriller Bark came into view.

SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.