One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix and Disney
OCs belong to me.
-Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Five-
"Much to my soul's dismay, by the time it found my body, there was nothing left but a miserable pile of bones" Brook revealed. "I was so shocked that my eyes were as wide as dinner plates—not that I have any eyes to begin with, yohohoho!" he laughed.
"You got lost, huh? So, you're stupid just like Zoro!" Luffy laughed which caused me to burst out laughing along with him.
"Hey now!" Zoro snapped at the two of us.
"And so, a walking, talking skeleton was born" Franky said. "Man, those Devil Fruit powers can be pretty scary sometimes—even though you're just bones, it still brought you back to life" he said.
"Yeah, but it only does it once" Sanji pointed out. "Despite the fact that he still can't swim and he's stuck like this, seems like a crappy deal if you ask me" he admitted not seeing anything positive about the skeleton's Devil Fruit.
"Have to agree with Sanji on this one, feels pretty useless in my opinion" I hummed in agreement.
"Skeletons aren't supposed to have hair, are they? Especially not so much of it—is that afro a wig or something?" Zoro curiously asked.
"No, my roots are just very strong" Brook answered.
"I'll...I'll take your word for it" Zoro said, not feeling in the mood to get into an argument with the skeleton over how illogical that sounded.
"Then that just means you're not a ghost, after all, you're just a normal human like us" Usopp said. "Well, normal at a stretch I suppose" he quickly added after taking another look at the skeleton. "But the important thing is, is you're defiantly not a ghost" he said.
"Oh, heavens no, I hate ghost" Brook admitted with a shiver that made his bones rattle. "If I saw one I'd scream my lungs out if I had any" he said.
"You're a skeleton and you're afraid of ghosts? Have you tried looking in the mirror lately?" Nami asked as she held out a mirror.
"No mirrors! Stop!" Brook cried out before he started to scream.
"What's wrong? Hey—hold up! What's going on here?!" Usopp frantically asked.
"No! Why...why...?!" Chopper shakily asked.
"Why can't we see you?!" both the sharpshooter and reindeer screamed in fright when they saw that the skeleton had no reflection. "Why don't you show up in the mirror?!" they wailed.
"Are you for real?! That's awesome!" Luffy and I eagerly shouted, eyes sparkling as the others quickly stood up and now looked ready for a fight just in case one were to break out.
"Look at his feet! He doesn't have a shadow!" Usopp pointed out.
"Ah! You're right—what kind of creature are you?!" Chopper cried out.
"Don't take a tea break!" Sanji snapped when the skeleton sat back down and started to drink some tea.
"Uh...you better explain yourself right away, mister!" Usopp nervously frowned.
"I suppose I should tell you the rest of the story" Brook said as he continued to sip at his tea. "About what happened while I was drifting in this evil sea and the second tragedy I was forced to face. What I told you about becoming a skeleton is true, but the reason I don't have a shadow is a different matter entirely...to be continued."
"How about you tell us now?!" Sanji snapped.
"My shadow was stolen—someone took it from me several years ago" Brook finally explained.
"Stolen?" Usopp questioned.
"But, how?" Robin asked.
"I didn't think it was possible to steal someone's shadow" I tilted my head. "They're not really tangible" I softly frowned.
"I guess that's not any more ridiculous than a talking skeleton, but it's still hard to swallow" Zoro said. "Can something like that really happen?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid it can—and in addition to losing my reflection, having my shadow stolen means I can no longer exist in this world of light" Brook nodded.
"But you're still alive, right?" Luffy asked.
"Yes, for now at least, but only because I'm able to stay in this place with no sunlight" Brook answered. "Although you can scarcely call it living, I am saved by the grace of the thick fogs surrounding these seas" he said as he motioned around himself.
"Then what would happen if you were exposed to sunlight?" Robin curiously inquired.
"If even a ray of sunlight touched this body, every inch that it fell upon would be reduced to nothing but ash" Brook said. "A single step into the sun, and in a matter of moments, every trace of me would be wiped from this world" he sighed.
"You'd be killed?!" we shouted in shock.
"Yes" Brook nodded. "I saw someone with the same curse as I lose his mind and run into the sunlight...and at last his screams went silent, nothing was left behind but a pile of dust—it was so frightful. I swear my soul practically left my body a second time and just as sunlight does not cast my shadow, my image cannot be reflected in a mirror or captured in a photograph—you must forgive me for startling you, but I hope you can understand my reluctance to share this story" he apologized. "For as you can see, not only have my comrades been slain, I also live in a world without light."
"Well, I hate to say it, but your life sure does suck" Sanji bluntly said.
"Even still, right now, I'm still so happy to have it—a fluffy afro, a big smile...the cheery gentleman skeleton Brook, always a pleasure" Brook sighed which caused me to furrow my brows.
"Where does all this optimism come from?" Sanji asked.
"Hey, what's wrong? He's flipping out?" Usopp asked the minute Brook suddenly burst out laughing.
"What a wonderful day this has been! I've met other people!" Brook joyfully laughed. "Buried in a heavy fog, even though I knew decades have passed, I couldn't tell when one day ended and another began. Unable to navigate or steer the ship, my companies long since dead, I could only drift aimlessly and so I waited as the waves rocked me back and forth" he admitted. "You can't even imagine how lonely I was all those years, not just lonely, but scared. Waiting to die every single day..." I couldn't help but flinch at his words as my eyes became downcast.
"Even still, a long life is a blessing, not a curse" he sighed. "You've made me so happy, meeting such wonderful people gives my life meaning, yohohoho. If I had the eyes to shed them, I would be crying tears of happiness right now—I was happy beyond measures when you asked me to join your crew and I sincerely want to thank you from the bottom of my heart" he bowed. "However, I fear that I must decline your offer."
"What?! Why would you do that?!" Luffy frowned.
"As I mentioned to all of you right now, my shadow has been stolen from me and I am unable to come in contact with any sunlight" Brook repeated. "Lonely as I may be, for now, I am able to survive thanks to the thick fog covering these seas" he told us. "However, if I were to go on a journey with you, it would only be a matter of time before I met my unfortunate demise. There, for however unlikely it may be, I'll wait for the day my shadow can be restored. Make no bones about it, yohohoho" he softly laughed.
"I don't want to hear you make excuses like that, if you need your shadow back so bad then we'll get it back for you!" Luffy offered with a huff. "You said someone stole it from you, right? Who was it? Where can we find them?" he asked.
"Thank you, you truly are such a kind person, aren't you?" Brook asked. "But, for that reason, I'm afraid I cannot tell you—we've only just met you see and I cannot ask you to throw your life away attempting something like that, it's nearly impossible" he said.
"I'm sure the guy's tough and all, but give me a break—you got nothing to lose, the least you can do is tell us his name" Franky said.
"No, it's best that I don't—besides, I doubt I could find him anyways, yohohoho" Brook softly laughed. "But, I have decided that when and if I ever do reach him, I will fight him to the death for my shadow. I…I don't know when my second life will end, but I am willing to wait for him for the rest of my days" he admitted. "But, never mind that, why don't I play a song for you? I am skilled with many instruments, you know when I sailed the seas with my old crew I was their musician" he said as he pulled a violin out.
"What? Are you serious?" Luffy brightened upon hearing the fact that the skeleton was a musician for his old crew. "Our crew needs a musician! Hurry up and join us already! I'm begging you!" he practically pleaded.
"Yohohoho! I haven't played music for anyone in years, but here it goes" Brook said, but just as he was getting ready to play, he suddenly released the loudest and highest-pitched scream that I had ever heard. I flinched as I watched how he frightfully stumbled back until he fell onto his nonexistent ass.
"Hey, what's wrong? You're freaking out" Sanji frowned.
"Did you perhaps see something?" I asked.
"G-ghost!" Brook cried out as he pointed straight towards the ghost that was poking its head in through the wall.
"Aw! It's adorable!" I couldn't help but coo the moment I spotted the little guy.
"Get out! Go away!" Chopper cried.
"So cool!" Luffy gaped.
"It's leaving!" Zoro pointed out the moment the ghost left through the wall just as the ship started to violently shake. "What? Something's happening to the ship!" he exclaimed as we all began to frantically look around.
"Oh, it can't be!" Brook gasped as he scrambled to stand and rushed out onto the deck. "What terrible fortune, it must have been watching them—that's the only thing that makes sense" we heard him say from outside. "Everyone, look to the front" he motioned for us to all come out onto the deck before pointing in the direction he wanted us to look in. "That noise we heard was this gate slamming shut, our passage has already been blocked off" he explained.
"That thing is a gate?" Luffy questioned.
"It looks like teeth! Like a giant sea monster is going to eat us!" Usopp gaped.
"Someone did get creative when they made this gate" I remarked.
"What's going on here?" Zoro frowned.
"It seems this is the backside of the gate" Brook noted.
"That bad?" Luffy asked.
"This is very bad" Brook nodded as he rushed back into the kitchen. "Come to the rear of the ship, hurry!" he shouted as we all quickly followed him.
"What in the world is that?" Nami gaped as we stared at the island in front of us.
"Did you by any chance pick up a barrel on the way here?" Brook suddenly asked.
"Yeah, we did" Luffy nodded.
"Why do you ask?" I asked.
"It was a trap, you're all in great danger" Brook warned. "Simply put, your ship's been targeted ever since you came here" he said.
"You mean there's someone out there hunting us down? And by the way, did we run into that gate when our ships weren't moving?" Luffy asked as I found my eyes carefully scanning the island before us. It was so dreary as if devoid of any form of life. "Where the heck did that creepy island come from?" the rubber man asked.
"This is the ghost island that wanders throughout the seas, they call it Thriller Bark" Brook said.
"Thriller Bark? I see" Luffy nodded.
"Hey, this is strange, the Log Pose isn't reacting to this island at all" Nami said as she peered down at the Log Pose and found that the needle wasn't moving at all or having any sort of reaction to this new island.
"Nor should it" Brook said with the shake of his head. "Because originally this island came all the way from the West Blue" he revealed.
"The West Blue?" Nami questioned.
"Are you saying it floated all this way like a ship?" I frowned.
"Indeed" Brook nodded.
"Hey, where are you going?" Sanji asked the minute Brook started to make his way back inside.
"Truly, this has been a fortunate day for me—not only was I able to meet you, but now my wish has been granted as well" Brook said as we all followed him back towards the front of the ship. "Yohohoho!" he laughed as he jumped from the railing and onto the lion's head.
"That's one hell of a jump" Sanji whistled.
"Yes, there's no pesky flesh weighing me down—please, do not follow me" Brook said. "You must break through that gate behind you and escape this place, whatever you do, you cannot drop your anchor here" he warned. "That being said, it truly was a pleasure meeting all of you today, I won't forget your kindness so long as I live. Farewell, I hope we meet again on the high seas" and with that, he jumped down to the waves below.
"Hey, Brook! Wait!" Luffy shouted.
"Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?" Zoro questioned which caused us all to shiver at the thought that the skeleton had just jumped to his death right in front of us.
"Then he's going to sink like a rock!" Usopp cried out.
"What? He's running on water!" I gaped the minute I spotted the laughing skeleton run by our ship, running across the water as if it was no different from land.
"He's running on water?" Usopp questioned.
"That is too cool!" Luffy exclaimed.
"I couldn't agree more!" I grinned.
"Uh...anyways, Luffy, we should listen to him and get moving" Nami said. "I don't really understand the situation here, but I do know this island is bad news" she said.
"You guys say something?" Luffy asked.
"He totally wants to go" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper sweat dropped as I laughed.
"I've had enough ghosts for today, I don't need a whole island!" Usopp frowned.
"I do" I chuckled.
"You shut your mouth before you encourage him even more!" Usopp snapped.
"Wait a second, what about that ghost we saw before? Huh?" Chopper questioned. "Is it still here on the boat?" he nervously asked.
"No, looks like it was flying to this island, I'm guessing that's where the thing came from" Zoro said with the shake of his head.
A/N: Enjoy
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