Chapter 3: Feather Light

{Thriller Bark…..}

The air was putrid. It reeked of rotting flesh and graveyard soil and the heavy copper scent of blood that coated his tongue with each breath. Luffy had pushed his body further than he cared to as he stood against Moria, who smelled the worst to him. Luffy knew the others couldn't tell, but the vampire-like Warlord oozed the stench of this island, and the cold bitterness of shadows, which due to his recent - and rather painful - experience of playing host to roughly a hundred shadows, the seventeen year old now knew unfortunately, that shadows had a taste and that it was absolutely foul.

However, his own problem wasn't the circumstances that they faced against a Warlord, no, in fact Luffy was positive that another hit would finish him off. It was their time limit. Thus, the Gum Gum Fruit user braced himself and attacked with all the strength he could muster, calling for the shadows to obey him and return to their owners. Moria, naturally found this idea hilarious, but Luffy wasn't as foolish as people seemed to think he was, and he could feel and hear the voices of the shadows calling for their owners. So, he screamed and growled, bearing his teeth and acting like an animal as he attacked Moria relentlessly, his eyes flashing a dangerous red hue as the others did all they could to help him.

They were not letting this beast get away with ruining so many lives. Momentarily, Luffy was back on the ground, and his attention turned to Brook who stood to fight alongside them. Once this was over, he would finally have his musician - and more importantly, a new friend and ally in this insane journey of his - but for now, he would need to focus on destroying Moria who cackled as he leaked shadows that floated out like ghosts in a mad dash to find their owners. One more hit. That would be all it took, if his body could withstand it that is. Because every time he took a breath in his chest ached, the sound rattling and popping as blood dripped from his mouth and the copper taste continued to saturate his tongue, the scent of decay assaulting his senses as he struggled to focus.

It was disgusting.

Another deep breath, the disturbing scents violated his mouth and nose, Moria's cackles echoed annoyingly in his ears, and the bite of the faintest sunlight touched his skin. It had been an unbearably long night and he had long since had enough of this bullshit. Luffy put the edge of his thumb into his mouth, biting down hard as he took in a deep breath, and blew into the small hole he had created in his rubber bones before expanding his arm to a massive size, intentions clear as Moria laughed, assuming him to be far too weak in order to defeat the likes of him. Luffy felt the after effects instantly, the burning pain that spread through his body as he combined his second and third gears to the point that it felt as though his entire being was on fire. He was sure blood vessels were bursting and Chopper would have his head for this later, but dammit all they were out of time. Thus, he screamed, ignoring the burning, the aching, and simmering pain that reverberated throughout his body as he slammed his fist into Moria's engorged body and at long last, the shadows burst out as though a dam had broken. The sun peaked over the edges of Thriller Bark, and he collapsed, shrunken and pain stricken as the sunlight hit him.

The burning intensified, and Luffy almost wondered if this is how Vampires felt as he considered that this would be his fate. Of all the things to kill him off - it was a fucking lazy onion of a whatever the hell Moria was. Not the Grandline or the New World, but some kind of washed up, annoying Warlord who thought himself better and lacked ambition despite having so much power.

But, apparently, the Gods liked him a little to much.

Because suddenly, he was awake, his senses returned and his body riddled with excruciating wounds that spilled dark red in the early morning light and left his ears ringing and his world spinning if he dared sit up further. Lying back against the cold stone ruins of Moria's castle with the warlord defeated, Luffy stared up at the sky as it faded from pale pink, orange, yellow, and blue while light filtered in through this haunted house attraction gone array, making the nightmares seem absurdly unrealistic now that everything was said and done.

"It's finally over… thank the Gods…" Luffy closed his eyes, rest claiming him as Chopper patched him up.

To bad, another Warlord elected to show up. Luffy had been on the brink of rest when Bartholomew Kuma had showed up and blasted them all to kingdom come. It was honestly a miracle that any of them had survived, that much each of them were sure of, in particular Zoro who had managed to stay awake and able-bodied enough to see the Warlord looming over his Captain in a threatening manner. He moved to defend him, seeing that Luffy was unconscious, and to badly wounded to fight even if he had been awake. The green-haired first mate declared war upon the giant of a man, who batted him away as though he were nothing but a mere fly, demanding everyone's death.

Zoro, holding his swords proudly refused, telling the bear-man in no uncertain terms to go straight to hell. The fight continued, but no progress could be made at the level of strength he currently possessed. And then, Kuma proposed a compromise.

"Your Captain's life in exchange for your own and everyone else present."

Dark green eyes glanced to Luffy, lying there unaware of what was happening as he noticed the painful tremors that occasionally coursed through his body. Zoro took in those wounds that covered the petite frame of the boy who he proudly called Captain, bruises darkening his arms and legs in various spots where he had been grabbed and thrown or pushed himself too far for their sakes. Zoro closed his eyes, sheathing his swords and going to his knees, head bowed gently upon the rubble before him.

"Take my life instead."

He wasn't worth as much to the Government as Luffy was. But, he would be damned if he let his Captain, his best friend, his comrade, his junior - die for his sake. He was the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, swordsman and first mate of the future King of the Pirates, and he would be damned if he let his Captain take the fall when he could do so instead. He couldn't have expected Sanji to be awake and attempt to take his place. Naturally, the blond cook had his reasons for Zoro to step down. He was older, he was just the cook, and loosing him wouldn't impact Luffy at the same degree as loosing his first mate would. Zoro knocked him flat on his ass for that, being sure to make the hopeless romantic of a chef unconscious before he returned his attention to Bartholomew Kuma, prepared to die.

Instead, the giant of a man reached down, carefully picking up his Captain, who hung in his massive hand limply like a porcelain marionette and Zoro watched on edge, prepared to attack when the man pressed a hand to Luffy's chest and a mass of opaque red slipped from the younger boy's body and formed into a large sphere. Kuma didn't have to say anything to Zoro as he watched Luffy flinched, his breathing coming out easier as the tall man turned to him, lying the boy Captain down gently, treating him with care as he offered Zoro a taste of what to expect.

Survive the pain his Captain shouldered, and Kuma would count them even.

It was unimaginable. That tiny drop of pain that Zoro was given nearly sent him to his knees. He struggled not to scream, but failed as it shot through his body like a bolt of acid lightening. It left him begging for air and disoriented as he coughed up blood and staggered, looking to the Warlord and then to his Captain who took in a steady breath for the first time in what had seemed to be hours. How could someone so small shoulder so much agony? Eyes wild, Zoro gritted his teeth, standing straight and decided to take the pain. If his Captain could handle it - then so could he. Zoro removed himself from the immediate proximity of his crewmates and their allies, and charged headlong into the sphere of agony that Kuma had ripped from his Captain. It felt like his organs were bursting, his vision went black and he struggled to breathe, blood splattered around him, and Zoro gritted his teeth, crossing his arms over his chest, locking his knees and he endured.

He endured like his Captain, like his crewmates. Because if he couldn't do this - then they were all dead. The Santoryu user refused for their journey to end here, and he would be there to see the day that Monkey D. Luffy became King of the Pirates. That much, he assured himself no matter the amount of stabbing wounds and gushing blood that spilled from his battered body. He wound endure because he knew it was the right thing to do without question. And, thus, he remained steadfast until at long last, it was over and Kuma departed. It would be a short time later that Sanji would find him, panicked and fearful that they had lost a crew member, but when Sanji asked him what happened, Zoro blinked open his blurred vision, and took in a painful breath.

"Nothing...happened."

Sanji's panic had awoken the others, resulting in Chopper and their allies rushing to help. Through ensuring Zoro's life, the Straw Hat crew and Lola's crew were left dumbfounded by Luffy's sudden burst of energy and how despite still being bruised and wounded, he felt minimal to no pain and was happily looking to everyone with a brilliant smile on his face. They were all dumbfounded, well aware that Luffy had an absurd healing rate - but this was abnormal for even the rubber teenager before them. Naturally, Chopper had gone into full blown hysterics about this and Zoro's condition; however, he was eventually able to deduce that they'd both be fine with food and rest. That had lead to their most current situation of partying by eating up the spoils of war so to speak as the two pirate crews raided the kitchens of Thriller Bark and proceeded to throw a feast in celebration of their victory. The joyous occasion marked with merriment and music as Brook took to playing and people chatted, drank, ate, and formed friendships.

Nami and Lola talked, Robin joining in as the men helped Sanji cook and Usopp regaled the lot with his creative stories. Chopper stayed by Zoro and relished in his own fun while Franky worked on creating a monument for the dead alongside enjoying the celebration. However, amidst the happy lot, Brook sat alone at the piano, playing quietly the tune of Bink's Brew when unexpectedly, he noticed a very faint weight coming onto the top of the piano and looked up into the smiling face of the young man who had rallied the troops to save him and so many others.

"Oh, hello Luffy…" the boy grinned.

"You doing okay?" Brook nodded, seeming to smile as he continued to play the familiar tune.

"I'm… elated in the return of my shadow… and the brilliance of sunlight and the laughter of new faces. It has been far to long, and I never thought I would see this day," he admitted as Luffy watched him.

"Well, your free now… so… what do you want to do?" Brook seemed to contemplate this question for a moment before looking back to the boy.

"If I could… might I join your crew? Straw Hat Luffy?" a mischievous grin split the boy's face, he laughed, charcoal gray eyes shining.

"Of course you can. I wouldn't have it any other way!" of course, this shocked the other Straw Hats, but they couldn't help but agree that Brook was to good of a fit with their motley crew, and thus dropped it as one of Lola's men by the name of Joe watched the interaction.

"Damn, that kid is a real monster," he said as one of the Risky brothers nodded.

"Absolutely, Moria is apparently the second Warlord he's taken out." the crew were shocked by this, but the Straw Hats said nothing as Lola laughed.

"Forgive my boys, they're impressed by your little Captain there," she said with a smile. Nami shook her head.

"Yea, he's a monster, but I don't think our lives would be right without him. Besides, he's only like that when someone pisses him off." the other Risky brother came to them, looking at the boy who remained atop the piano lid.

"He's gotta weigh nothing to be doing that! Kinda crazy to think he's the same bloke who took out Moria… seems like a normal kid to me now," he stated as Joe glanced to Brook who was chatting with Luffy happily.

"Yea, those punches were insane… hey, ladies? Mind if I ask how you handle someone like him?" Robin gave a delicate laugh, smiling as she looked to them.

"Oh, he's a loose cannon, so we don't bother to reign him in unless we absolutely need to. It's better to let free spirits like that do as they please," she answered.

They couldn't help but silently agree as Brook brought out a tone dial from within his skull and started playing a recording of his old crew's final song. He played along, and the others sang with him, enjoying the reverie-state they found themselves in as everyone celebrated and continued to into the night until at long last people began to doze off. Brook watched the lot of them happily, observing the scene as he noticed Luffy was sound asleep atop the piano, where he had spent most of the evening talking with the skeleton musician as though it was the most important thing to him. It touched his long rotted away heart to hear the questions that the strange boy had asked him.

What do you want to do now?

Do you have a dream?

We already met Laboon! And Crocus! They're waiting for you at Reverse Mountain!

Yea! We'll circle the world, and someday soon, you'll get to see Laboon again!

Of course I want you on my crew! You're perfect for us!

A boney hand reached out, gently brushing messy ebony locks out of the boy's face as he sighed. It felt amazing, because now Brook was happy to be alive for the first time in fifty years, it felt as though his gambit of having eaten the Revive Revive Fruit hadn't been a curse, but was a blessing in disguise. Now, he had a chance to return to Laboon, keep the promise of his crew, and explore so much more than he had before. This boy hadn't hesitated to let him become apart of something again, and while most would have shied away and been horrified - a brightly smiling monster of a black-haired boy had jumped at the chance to have him on his crew.

"What an odd person," Brook surmised as Sanji walked up to him, looking to his soundly sleeping Captain with a shake of his head.

"You don't know the half of it buddy. Let me tell you, he's gonna make your afterlife one hell of a ride." the skeleton gave a merry chortle.

"I wouldn't have it any other way! Yohohoho!" Sanji smiled, reaching his hand under Luffy's shoulders and legs before hoisting him up, causing a hum of annoyance as he did while Brook watched them.

"Well, would you look at that? He's almost feather light," the cook mentioned as he moved the boy to a more comfortable place on a makeshift pallet that Chopper and the girls had set up when everyone had started to fall asleep.

"Have you never picked him up before?" Sanji glanced to Brook.

"Na, Zoro does this when Luffy falls asleep in a weird place. I swear, the damn Captain is like a cat," he said in annoyance. The skeleton laughed a bit at the cook's observation while Sanji tossed a blanket over the younger boy, ensuring that he was covered before lighting up a cigarette.

"I don't suppose you're used to having to take care of him, huh?" Sanji shrugged as he looked at his crewmates while they slept.

"The ladies are my forte. I know how to handle a gal no problem, that rubber ball of adrenaline and energy? Absolutely not. I'm still trying to figure out how Zoro manages it half the time," he answered as he offered a cigarette to Brook who took one, lighting it and happily puffing on the coffin nail. Not that it would be a nail in his coffin, as he was already dead.

"How long have all of you been on the Grandline?" Sanji took a deep draw from his cigarette.

"Eh… about four months or so. Since then, we've helped stop a rebellion in Alabasta, toppled a Warlord, defeated a Fishman Pirate Crew, went to a Sky Island, escaped a Marine base, sailed through a hurricane, and oh… recently we destroyed Enies Lobby and took out a Cipher Pol belonging to the World Government whose flag we burned and declared war on." Brook made a noise of surprise.

"So… you've been very busy…" Sanji nodded.

"You could say that." the two took a draw from the cigarettes, and remained silent as the moon rose high into the sky and Sanji started to move to get Franky up, as it was now his turn to take watch.

"Oh, I should probably warn you that Luffy has a weird little thing he does with new crewmates," the cook mentioned.

"What would that be?" Sanji grinned.

"You'll see."

{The Thousand Sunny…}

Brook looked around the beautiful ship that he would now call home, noticing how lively everyone was as the breeze guided them through the sparkling blue waters. It was a stunning day to set sail, and Brook was adapting a bit shakily. He wanted to help wherever he could, but the others assured him there was no need to worry, and to help if someone asked. Naturally, he accepted that as his lot, but that didn't mean that he no longer felt any anxiety. However, Brook was greeted with a surprise as Sanji came barreling out of the kitchen, startling Luffy as he scooped him up and tossed him to Franky who caught the boy, who stared at him in annoyance. Brook was confused and equally amused as he recalled Sanji's prior comment about the boy's lightness, but it seemed that this was the way he intended to tell the others.

"Put me down." Luffy sounded irritated, and Sanji hoisted him up from the cyborg's arms, laughing as the seventeen year old gave him a bitter look.

"You weigh nothing! A stiff breeze could take you away!" the blond laughed, until Luffy kicked him square in the stomach and he landed on all fours, seeming to hiss like an angry feline.

"Don't pick me up like some kind of cat! I don't like it when people do that unless I give them permission too!" Sanji clearly was confused, but Zoro - who had awoken yesterday afternoon - found this hysterical.

"You should have guessed that much! You stupid ero-cook!" he laughed as Sanji turned to glare at him, and Nami rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys, your scaring the skeleton." Luffy tilted his head back at the statement, causing Brook to internally wince as he noticed the abnormal angle that the boy's body twisted before he was up on his feet again, approaching the musician with an intense look in his dark gray eyes.

"Can I help you with something, Captain?" Brook asked as he stared into those dark irises.

Luffy had such a carefree attitude, but his eyes were invasive in a way that Brook had never seen before. Charcoal gray eyes looked him over, seeming to inspect him down to his very soul and bones - which, wasn't hard, seeing as that was all he was - but at the same time, it looked as though this odd boy was seeing something a bit different before he stood completely straight, turning on his heels as he started to walk off before saying one thing:

"I got it." the others seemed to smile at this, and Brook was officially lost as he noticed this. The skeleton felt as though he had missed an inside joke, but as he startled to panic, Usopp put a hand on his shoulder smiling at him.

"Luffy just memorized your scent. It's a weird little thing he can do… everyone smells different to him, so he memorizes the scent of those he's close to so he can always know it's them." Brook's mouth fell open.

"I must smell awful! I wish you could have told me before so I could have bathed properly!" he said in embarrassment. Luffy laughed, turning to glance back at him.

"No, you smell like saltwater and oak. Probably from your violin, yea?" Brook stared, flabbergasted at the statement and looked to his own bone hands.

"How did you pick that up?" Luffy turned to fully look at him and placed his hand atop his head.

"You touched my head last night, right? I noticed it on your hands because I can still smell it on my hair," he pointed out, pulling at a strand that seemed to stretch a bit more than normal hair should.

"Oh, even his hair is somewhat elastic… I guess I shouldn't be to surprised."

"Speaking of which, go get a shower! You and Zoro are the only ones who still need a deep cleaning after running through graveyards and playing with corpses all night! Besides, you smell like burning tar a bit Luffy," Nami said, pointing her finger at the shower area.

"That's probably from the shadows I ate… or well… had shoved inside me." the boy shook his head, a discomforted look on his face as the others gaped.

"You…. WHAT?!" They all shouted in shock. Luffy laughed as Zoro sighed in defeat.

"I got my Nightmare form that way. Lola and the others put about… I think a hundred shadows in me to do that…" Chopper instantly freaked out.

"WHY DID YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT?! WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT DID TO YOUR BODY!" Luffy put his hands up in defense.

"Calm down, I'm fine. It only hurt when they started, after that I was fine. But, for the record shadows taste horrible, like sulfur or something." Brook stared at the boy as Zoro sighed, grabbing the boy around the waist and hoisting him up.

"Come on Captain, time to get all this graveyard dirt off us before we get cursed," he said as Luffy smiled.

"Okay…" they watched as Zoro went into the washroom with Luffy, shutting the door as Brook hummed.

"Ah, I see now… my Captain is a monster… good, my worries are now limited," he said. Nami groaned.

"Don't take it lightly Brook, Luffy will make you go gray if your not careful." the musician laughed softly.

"Dear Nami, after fifty years of solitude, I'll happily accept all types of insanity. Honestly, I feel almost feather light. Now, might I ask if I can see your -" Nami kicked him.

"NOT A CHANCE BONE-PERV!"

{.…..}

Author's Note: Thriller Bark is one of my favorite arcs in One Piece. Not just for Brook or Bink's Sake, but because I genuinely love the haunted house idea. I love horror and things like that, so the arc was perfect for me. Though, Moria was a pain in the ass. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. There are a few themes I want to keep from prior chapters, to give the vignettes a bit of consistency. Luffy's absurd sense of smell being one of them. Anyhow, see you in the next chapter.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.