Unseen Shadow and Unexpected Spooky Island
"Oh, so you're just a normal human like us! Well, normal is a stretch, I suppose. But the important thing is that you're not a ghost." Usopp said.
"Oh no, I hate ghosts! If I saw any, I would scream my lungs out if I had any." Brook assured, causing Chopper to sigh in relief.
"You're a skeleton and you're afraid of ghost? Have you try looking in the mirror lately?" Nami asked holding up a mirror in front of Brook.
"AAAAAAHHHH?! NO mirrors, please!" Brook screamed as he tried to look away from the mirror.
"What's wrong?" Usopp moved closer to see why Brook is being so spooked of his own reflection.
"It's not like you were creepy before." Shirone said, wanting to see the mirror herself.
However, both of them have their eyes widen in pure shock when they saw something that shouldn't be possible.
"H-Hey, hold up! What's going on here?" Usopp freaked out right now.
"No, why…" Chopper stuttered as fear is starting to swell up again.
"This… can't be right." Shirone felt her hair standing on edge a bit.
"Why can't we see you? Why don't you show up in the mirror?" Usopp, Chopper, and Shirone asked at the same time, revealing that Brook has no reflection in the mirror, literally at all.
"A VAMPIRE?!" Usopp and Chopper screamed as everyone kept their distance.
"ARE YOU FOR REAL? THAT'S AWESOME!" Luffy amazed.
"I KNOW! VAMPIRES ARE THE COOLEST MONSTERS, RIGHT NEXT TO THE WEREWOLVES!" Gasper screamed of excitement and shock at the same time.
"Are you for real?" Nami gasped, how are these two so cool with a skeleton who could also be a vampire.
"AH! Look at his feet! He doesn't even have a shadow!" Usopp pointed at Brook's feet showing that he really doesn't have a shadow.
"Hold on a moment, you two never notices that Mister Skeleton never had a reflect or a shadow?" Robin asked the two.
"We were only with him for three days, and we didn't explore much of the ship. Plus, this fog blocks out the sun, so we never notice that until now." Shirone explained. Now that she thinks about it, she hasn't seen Brook anywhere near the mirror back in the old ship.
"Brook, is this by any chance the reason why you couldn't leave the fog at all?" Gasper asked, remembering what Brook told them before the Straw Hat Pirates came.
Brook calms himself and sits back down on his chair and takes a sip of tea to calm the nerves some more.
"Don't take a tea break!" Sanji yelled.
"You better explain yourself right away, Mister! And what did Gasper mean by what he just said?" Usopp demanded while screaming like a little girl on the inside.
"I suppose I should tell you the rest of the story about what happened while I was drifting in this evil sea, and the second tragedy I was force to face." Brook decided it was time to come clean.
"What I told you about me becoming a skeleton was true, but the reason I don't have a shadow is a different matter entirely." Brook paused for a moment that got everyone on edge.
"To be continue." Brook said.
"Oh, I wanna hear the rest of the story." Gasper exclaimed.
"You will, right now." Shirone glared at Brook telling him to take this seriously.
"Yeah, tell us now!" Sanji demanded, also not in the mood for jokes.
"…My shadow was stolen; someone took it from me several years ago." Brook revealed.
"Stolen?" Usopp puzzled.
"But how?" Robin asked.
"I guess that's not anymore ridiculous than a talking skeleton, but it's still hard to swallow. Can something like that really happen?" Zoro asked, couldn't exactly wrap his head around this.
"Yes, I'm afraid it can. And in addition to losing my reflection, having shadow stolen means I can no longer live in the world of light." Brook explained the curse when losing a shadow.
"So, that was the thing that happened to you five years ago. The reason you couldn't leave the foggy sea." Gasper realized as Brook nodded.
"Yes, this very thick fog surrounding the sea could be like a blessing in disguise as that's the only reason I'm still alive right now." Brook said.
"Then what would happen if you were expose to sunlight?" Robin asked curious.
"If even a ray of sunlight touches this body, every inch that it fell upon… would be reduce to not but ash." Brook answered in a serious tone.
"Nothing but ash?" Gasper gulped, shaking of how this story is going.
"A single step into the sunlight and in a matter of moments every truce of me would be wipe from this world." Brook explained some more.
"You'd be killed?" Everyone in the gasped.
"Yes." Brook nodded as he first discovered this on that very day.
(Flashback)
Brook is seen running through the darkness of the street, he stopped at the corner where the sunlight is shining upon and saw there is no one there. But just when he was about to make a run for it, a man screaming ran past Brook let himself into the sunlight.
The man was panting for a moment and then he started laughing like a madman, but then something started happening when the man screamed in pain as his body starts becoming nothing but ashes much to Brook's horror.
"I saw someone with the same curse as me loses his mind and run into the sunlight. It lasted after his scream, and he was nothing but a pile of dusts. It was so frightful; I swear my soul particularly left my body a second time." Brook expressed that frightful day.
(Flashback End)
"And just as the sunlight does not cast my shadow, my imagine cannot be seen in a mirror nor captured in a photograph." Brook finished the explanation.
"You forgive me for straddling you, but I hope you can understand my reluctance to share this story. For as you see, not only have all of my comrades been slain, but I also live in a world without light." Brook said as he stood up.
"Well, I hate to say it, but your life sure does suck." Sanji commented.
"Hey now, there's no need to be mean right now." Shirone said, she may not like Brook being a pervert and all, but she can respect Brook of having some sense of honor.
"Even still, I am so happy to have it. Got my afro, a big smile. The cheery gentleman Brook, always a pleasure!" Brook smiled cheerfully.
"Where does this optimism come from?" Sanji asked.
"I'm just so happy to meet more people! Gasper and Shirone were the very first people to meet in a long time, and I felt more joy upon meeting you all!" Brook laughed a little loud.
"I'm happy for you, and we still made that promise to help you get out of this fog." Gasper smiled.
"Oh, so you guys made a promise to help Brook out. That's cool of you." Luffy commented smiling at Gasper.
"I owe Brook that much for taking us in onto his ship and helping us get by, and now that I know what's truly going on here." Gasper walked over to Brook.
"I can't exactly imagine what's life has been like for you, having to live in these waters for so long and you can't even leave this fog because of your shadow being stolen." Gasper placed a hand on Brook's shoulder.
"Even so, when a Vladi makes a promise, he never goes back on his words no matter what. And that means I'm going to help you get your shadow back even if it's with my dying breath!" Gasper determined with a fire in his eyes.
Brook gasp upon hearing such strong words from someone so young, and oddly pretty with looking like a girl, as he has never met someone with a strong will to help someone in need when he barely knows him as they only spent three days together.
Luffy smiles as he can see how Gasper wants to help out a friend, the captain would do the same thing for any of his friends in a heartbeat and he would definitely want to go on this adventure with his new crew members.
"Considering on what Brook told us about how his Shadow was stolen, that can only mean this must be a Devil Fruit power user." Shirone figured out that part.
"Hmm, that does sound logically, Devil Fruits are mysterious and unique kind of fruit with each of their own powers." Robin agreed.
"Yes, I even read the book about every current Devil Fruits that has been known throughout the entire world. And if I remember this correctly, this is the work of the Shadow-Shadow." Shirone revealed and everyone gasped.
"Shadow-Shadow fruit? You mean there's a power for shadows?" Franky asked.
"Oh yeah, I remember reading about that back from my former kingdom. It grants the user the ability to control over all shadows." Gasper recalled reading the book too.
"Okay, now this is something I don't wanna hear anymore." Nami said, feeling some fear as her legs are shaking.
"Brook, did you see the user who took your shadow away?" Shirone asked.
"Yohohoho, quite impressive that you already know that much. Indeed, I have but I fear about putting you all in danger if you were to get involve with my dark affairs." Brook wanted to keep his new friends safe from the danger that took his shadow away.
"Well, I think we're already involved since we're friends and Gasper isn't backing down." Luffy pointed out.
"That's right, I may not be strong without the Devil Fruit I need, and I may has lost my kingdom, but I promise that I will be strong against all odds!" Gasper promised strongly despite being stutter nervously and shaking a bit.
"It's kind of cute when you're trying to be brave." Nami giggled.
"I agree, he's like a cute little bat." Robin nodded with a giggle.
"You also said that you were looking for a Devil Fruit to help make yourself strong, it must be really important for you." Zoro stated.
"It is, I failed to protect my people when my island was destroyed… But I'm not going to let its name be erase from history for as long as I live!" Gasper nodded and clutched his fists.
"Wow! You sure are one determined little boy, I have some mad respect for you!" Franky complimented and struck his signature pose.
"Whether you like it or not, Brook. You're not getting ride of us that easily." Shirone grinned with one hand on her hip.
Brook does his laugh softly knowing that he has indeed stumble upon some wonderful friends, and this gave him a wonderful idea.
"Well then, how about I sing you a song to celebrate our friendship." Brook suggested as he opens his case and picks up his violin.
"Whoa, you're a musician! Our crew needed a musician really badly!" Luffy excited to know that Brook is a musician.
"Yeah, Brook can play a mean violin." Gasper snapped his fingers with a smile.
"He used to be a musician from his old pirate crew." Shirone explained on what Brook told them.
Brook chuckles from the compliment and was about to play, but suddenly he stops before he can play the strings and stood still like a statue.
"Hey Brook, is something wrong?" Gasper asked.
"Yeah, are you gonna play or not?" Sanji wondered what's going on with the skeleton guy.
But then suddenly Brook just screamed out of nowhere and he fell right onto his butt.
"Hey, what's going on? You're freaking out." Sanji asked.
"G-G-Gh… Ghoooost!" Brook gasped loudly.
Everyone turns to see this ghost phasing through the wall from the outside and they all freaked out upon seeing the ghost.
"A real ghost?!" Gasper screamed.
"Hey, it's leaving?" Zoro puzzled as the ghost just leaves them.
Suddenly the ship started shaking which can only mean that something is happening to the ship right now.
"What's going on?" Shirone asked while standing close to Gasper.
"It can't be…" Brook ran back outside to see this for himself if this is truly happening.
Once Brook came out, his non-existing eyes widened.
"How unfortunate, they must've been watching us, that's the only explanation that make sense." Brook said to himself.
"Everyone, look to the front!" Brook called out.
"Brook, what is going on?" Shirone asked.
"The noise we heard was this gate slamming shut. Our path has already been blocked off." Brook explained as he pointed at the gate.
"That thing's a gate?" Luffy surprised to see this.
"It looks like teeth, like a giant sea monster is about to eat us." Usopp exclaimed in fear.
"What's going on here?" Zoro wondered what could this mean.
"It seems this is the backside of the gate." Brook said.
"For real? The backside?" Gasper started to feel worried.
"Yes, very real. Come to the rear of the ship, hurry!" Brook ran for the rear of the Sunny, and everyone followed.
Then everyone became shocked of seeing something they were not expecting to see, and then Brook thought of something that he needed to ask Luffy.
"Did you by any chance picked up a barrel on your way here?" Brook asked nervously.
Luffy started to remember one specific barrel that his crew stumbled upon earlier before meeting Brook.
(Flashback)
"Hey, there's something floating in the ocean." Zoro reported.
"Hey, you're right! Maybe it fell off a treasure ship." Luffy gasped upon seeing the barrel.
"Okay, let me see!" Luffy excited as he opens the barrel, but suddenly a red light came out and flare brightly in the sky.
"Fireworks?" Luffy confused.
(Flashback End)
"Yeah, we did." Luffy answered, getting a really bad feeling about this.
"It was a trap. You're all in great danger. Simply put, your ship has been targeted ever since you came here." Brook warned.
"You mean there's someone hunting us down? By the way, how'd we run into that gate when our ship's not moving?" Luffy asked.
"I think the bigger question is what is this place exactly." Shirone said as they get a good look of the place, a creepy and haunting-looking island.
"What the… An island? But how did we get here when there weren't any lands for miles?" Gasper confused and scared.
"This is the ghost island that wanders throughout these seas. They call it, Thriller Bark!" Brook revealed the island.
"Thriller Bark!" Gasper and Luffy shocked at the same time.
"Hey, this is strange. The Log Pose isn't reacting to this island at all." Nami informed as she notice the needle is pointing away from this island.
"So, does that mean this island isn't entirely an island at all?" Shirone shocked.
"Indeed, because originally this island came all this way from the West Blue." Brook explained.
"No way!" Gasper shocked of amazement.
"Hey, where are you going?" Sanji asked when Brook went back inside and grab his cane.
"Truly, this has been most fortunate. Not only did I meet more friends, but now my wish has come true." Brook said and went for the front of the ship.
"Yohohoho! Yohohohohoho!" Brook laughed as he made one high and impressive jump.
"Alrighty then, since Gasper is very determined to help me and Luffy wants to help as well, I might as well let you come along with me to get my shadow back." Brook said.
"Wait a minute, you mean the one who took your shadow is on that island?" Gasper asked.
"That's right, but you all must steady yourself for when you land on that island then there is no going back. I'll go on ahead to find my shadow, hopefully our path will cross again!" Brook said before jumping off.
"Brook, wait!" Luffy tried to call out.
"Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?" Zoro remembered as everyone shakes in fear.
"Then he's gonna sink like a rock!" Usopp feared.
But then they heard Brook's laughter and look to the side of the ship seeing Brook somehow floating on the water.
"Wait, is he floating?" Franky shocked.
"No, look at his legs. He's literally running on the water!" Shirone pointed out.
"So, my first big adventure out in the sea has begun at Thriller Bark." Gasper looked at the island.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
More of Brook's past has been revealed with the revelation of his shadow being stolen and now the Thousand Sunny has been caught in Thriller Bark, things are about to get spooky crazy once the crew makes land on that island.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!