Towering Memories and Treasured Dreams

by RoseDragonWitch

Sequel to 'Warm Memories' story. Already, a few weeks had passed since their adventure on the 'ghost island'. Still, they continue forward, preparing themselves for any challenge that awaits them. But it seems that their memories aren't willing to let them go just yet. A distant tower... a mysterious force that haunts the seas... will their trust with each other be strong enough?

29. Floor 45: The Musician First Death

Floor 45: The Musician's First Death

"What floor are we on?" Sanji asked, wondering vaguely why his body felt so heavy all of a sudden. He supposed that this must be 'exhaustion' but he wasn't so sure anymore. He just really needed a good smoke and maybe calm himself by cooking up something for his beloved Nami and Robin as soon as possible. Speaking of which, everyone must be pretty hungry by now and he was already mentally planning the prep work to hold another feast once they found the Sunny.

"Why ask us?" Franky asked with a slightly grumpy tone as he felt around the walls, once again, trying to find some kind of weakness around him. Just what were these stones made of that made them so hard? "I stopped keeping track a while ago."

"That figures. But we gotta be nearing the top soon, right?" Nami asked, still frustrated at the lack of lighting or windows. "If we could somehow get a look outside then I'm sure that we could figure out just how much is left, or maybe even climb up the rest of the way without having to see anymore memories. I don't know how much more I can take."

"I wonder what we're gonna see next though?" Luffy asked happily, the only one who still had an eager grin on his face, "I wanna see you guys kicking more ass."

"Speak for yourself," Usopp grumbled, really starting to get sick of all these stairs. "I mean, sure, I thought that a lot of our fights were pretty awesome…?"

"Yeah, you and Chopper were great against those two from Alabasta!" Luffy grinned as he recalled his crewmates fight against the rest of Crocodile's goons.

"I'm more curious to know what else we can see since that last floor took us all the way back to seeing Luffy heading out from his home village," Zoro commented, "Though, Luffy, I do want to ask what made you think that leaving home in a tiny rowboat was a good idea?"

"Don't know," Luffy shrugged as he folded his hands at the back of his head, "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"But if we already saw our journey together through to the end then doesn't that mean that we should be near the top?" Chopper asked as he hopped up to ride on Zoro's shoulder. "I mean, what else is there for us to see?"

"Eh? You mean we're done?" Luffy asked with a pout.

"Oh, thank goodness," Usopp sighed in relief along with Nami, both of them looking forward to leaving this creepy island as quickly as possible. They both came to a silent agreement that nothing good was ever gonna come to them if they remained. Nami was almost tempted to leave behind any treasure if it meant that they could get out of this tower in one piece.

But one among them didn't seem ready to accept that yet.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Robin frowned and everyone looked at her, though her face was hidden in shadows before she asked, "Hasn't anyone noticed how much colder it has become?"

"Now that you mention it, it has been getting pretty chilly," Usopp said as he rubbed his arms as goosebumps appeared.

"Ah yes, this cold does remind me of something but I'm not so sure of what it is yet," Brook said thoughtfully, "Not that the cold really bothers me anymore."

"Lucky," Usopp grumbled with a slight shiver.

"But why are you bringing it up?" Zoro asked Robin curiously, "I mean, we must be pretty high up by now so surely that would explain the sudden cold? The winds must be pretty strong on the outside but it's not like its freezing cold yet."

Robin didn't answer right away as she zipped her jacket up just a little bit, having an uneasy feeling. She was sure that some of the others like Zoro, Luffy, Sanji… could probably feel it long before she could but she had the darkest sensation that they were still being watched. She couldn't be sure about it, but it was as if they were being observed… studied. In fact, she looked upwards, almost expecting some kind of eye to be looking down at them as they reached the next door.

"Let us just try to be a bit more cautious," she said as Luffy put his hands on the handle and was excitedly pulling at it.

"Don't need to tell me twice," Franky frowned, also looking around anxiously. While seeing these memories has been fun at times, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that the further up they went, the worse things were going to get.

"Hey! What gives?!" Luffy demanded as he was now tugging at the door, which remained closed no matter how hard he pulled at it.

"What's wrong, bro?" Franky asked as Luffy was now tugging hard on the handle with more than a little bit of strength, practically hanging off it, but still it wouldn't budge.

"Damn door! Why won't you open?" Luffy yelled out in frustration.

"Is it locked?" Chopper asked in concern.

"I guess," Luffy said before jumping back and wondering if he should try to punch through it. "Maybe we can try and force it open?"

"Did you forget that this entire tower is way too strong for that?" Usopp demanded, "Maybe this is a sign that we can go back down?"

"Oh, hell no! What if the top is right through here and that's where Sunny is?" Franky demanded, flexing his arms as he strolled right past Luffy and grabbed the handle himself. "Nothing's stopping me from getting to our Sunny!"

"Yeah! You tell 'em Franky!" Luffy cheered but even Franky and his massive arms couldn't pull the door open. They all stared at it in a bit of shock, not really sure what to make of it as Franky now seemed to be taking this personally.

"What? Son-of-a…?" he growled, now feeling like tearing this entire freaky tower apart with how unhelpful it was being.

"Hey! Calm down!" Usopp said, trying to get Franky to relax, "Maybe we just need to find another way around here? Or, better yet, we find a way out! It's not that much to ask for, is it? I think I'm done for today. While it was cool we got to see so much, I think that the fun is over."

"Yeah, so please, let's leave!" Chopper whimpered as Franky let go of the handle, and was now pouting over the door, getting ready to try and launch a laser beam at it instead and hope for the best. In fact, he was tired with all these games and went down a few steps before warning them all to get behind him as he prepared to fire.

"What?! No! Isn't that a bit extreme in this small space?!" Nami cried out as Luffy's eyes practically glowed with excitement at the thought of seeing a laser beam.

"Well, what do you want us to do? Gotta try something!" Franky demanded.

"Without getting us all killed? How do you know that blast won't just send us crashing down?" Nami demanded.

"Well, we won't know unless we try," he pointed out as Brook examined the door.

"Did you forget how high up we are now?" Nami demanded, "I don't know how high yet but I'm guessing pretty damn high! What if we go blasting out the wall and go falling to our deaths!"

"Well, if we fall, I'll be fine cause I'm made of rubber!" Luffy said proudly.

"Then you'll be the only one who survives!" Usopp yelled in outrage as scared tears began to fall from his face.

"Not if I use my Gum Gum Balloon!" he reasoned.

"Yeah, well what if we're right over the ocean or something?" Usopp demanded, "We'd be screwed then!"

"Ah guys…?" Brook tried to interrupt.

"So what else do you think we do?" Zoro asked, now fully on board with the idea. "I think that blasting our way through is our best option of getting answers."

"Because there is still just way too much craziness happening for us to try anything too extreme," Nami scolded.

"Guys?" Brook began again but no one was listening to him.

"Look, how about the rest of us move down to the last floor and let Franky try to blast the door and see what happens?" Sanji began but the creaking of the door opening caught their attention and they all looked up in shock as Brook stood there, having opened it so easily that one wondered if there was anything wrong at all.

"How'd you do that?" Sanji demanded of Brook, who seemed as stunned as the rest of them.

"I… I don't know," he whispered, "I just… turned the handle and… it opened?"

"What? Why'd it work for you and not us?" Luffy demanded.

"Luffy… did you try to open the door the wrong way?" Usopp asked curiously.

"What? NO! The stupid handle wouldn't even move!" Luffy snapped at him as he went marching inside ahead of them.

"Luffy… wait…?" Chopper began but too late, everyone was filling in after their captain, trying to make sure that he didn't do something out of anger here.

Inside the room was just as dark as the previous floors and they moved close together with their senses on high alert more than ever as they gazed around, trying to find something new here. A few seconds later though, the door shut behind them and they waited in the dark, wondering what was going to appear now.

A minute passed… and then another…?

"What do you think the tower's waiting for?" Luffy asked, frowning at the walls. "Hey! If you are gonna show us memories again, hurry up!"

"Luffy, please don't piss off someone who may or may not be there," Chopper whimpered, but as soon as Luffy finished yelling, the dark room faded and another memory began to appear before them. They were standing upon a large ship, almost twice as large as the Sunny, and there was a full crew of people hard at work all around them. It was a beautiful, sunny day with only a scattering of white, fluffy clouds above them and calm waters beneath.

"Wow! What's this place?" Luffy asked with a laugh as he looked around with a smile that radiated sunshine almost.

"I don't know, I don't recognize it," Zoro said, wondering just whose memory it was they were seeing this time is. "How about the rest of you? Do you know it?"

"No, but it does seem a little bit familiar for some reason," said Sanji, swearing that he had seen something like this before, but not able to really think of where as he glanced at some of the crew who passed by; not recognizing a single face.

"No, I don't know it either, but it does seem to be a pirate ship," Nami mumbled as she glanced up at the sky, thinking to herself that this sea certainly seemed to be much calmer than what they were used to. Perhaps this was still in the East Blue or…?

"Nor do I recognize the flag…?" Robin whispered before noticing Brook next to her. she turned to look and found him standing completely rigid, his body trembling as he seemed to have a hard time breathing—which was surprising since he didn't have lungs.

"Brook?" she asked worriedly as the name caused them all to look at their musician, who seemed too stunned to speak.

"Brook, what is it? Do you know this ship?" Luffy asked him curiously.

"Y-Yes…" he croaked out, staring around now wildly at everyone, "And… and I know these people! I… I can't believe it… but how…?"

Suddenly, they heard an unfamiliar voice calling out, "Hey look! It's a little whale!"

"Huh? You're slacking off to look at a whale?" another voice asked as others were slowly turning to the side of the ship, casting their gaze down at the water.

"A… whale?" Usopp muttered before his eyes widened in shock. "Wait… no! It can't be! Brook, is this your memory now?"

Brook didn't answer as his trembling was now so bad that his bones were clacking together before he sprinted to the side of the ship as well and looked down.

Sure enough, there he was. A whale, no larger than a rowboat, was sticking his head out of the water and looking up at the ship with such big, sad eyes…?

"La-Laboon!" Brook cried out as tears began to fall from his eye sockets, both in joy and terrible sadness as he looked at his tiny friend. Thinking about the previous memory of the Twin Capes and seeing for himself how large that Laboon had grown?

"Seriously?!" Luffy cried out as the rest of them ran to the side to get a look for themselves.

"Oh, isn't he just the cutest thing?" Robin cooed at the sight of the baby whale.

"Bro! That's seriously the same whale? Talk about a growth spurt!" Franky laughed.

"Hi Laboon!" Chopper cried out happily before realizing how sad he looked. "Awww, what's wrong with him?"

"Yeah, he looks pretty sad down there," Sanji said, unable to keep a slight smile off his face. "When you said that he was puny when you last saw him, Brook… I didn't think you meant this small."

"Oh, Laboon!" Brook cried out, wanting nothing more than to jump down and hug his old friend with all that he had. "But… wait…?"

He looked around at the ghosts of his old crew as they were all now looking at the sad-looking whale.

"What's with this little whale?" someone asked. "He won't stop following our ship."

"Probably got separated from his family," someone answered with a sad frown, "Poor guy. Lost and alone in this big ocean."

"You look so sad little guy! You're just a baby, aren't you?" another called down as Laboon looked up at the sound of their voices.

"Puohhn!" Laboon squeaked up at them.

"He's so cute," Nami said with trembling lips.

"This is it! These are, without a doubt, my memories! This is the day that we first met Laboon!" Brook cried out before gasping and added, "Then that means…?"

"Yohohoho!" laughed a familiar voice, but it didn't come from their Brook. They all looked around as another figure stepped down from the upper deck to join them, a violin in his hands. He was a very tall man with tan skin and was skinny as a rail as he swung about his instrument with great ease, looking ready to start playing it at any second. He had the type of face that didn't look like he ever stopped smiling—in fact, he probably would look like a different person if there wasn't a smile there. Either way, he moved with a cheerful grace as he stepped closer while the Straw Hats stared at everything about him from the slight goatee, to the scar on his head, and even to the dark sunglasses he wore over his eyes…?

"Hey Brook, that guy sounds just like you!" Luffy pointed out, clearly not putting two and two together right away.

"Yohohoho, that's because it is me, Luffy," Brook answered as the crew stared at him in shock.

"WHAT?!" they shouted out as present-day Brook stepped up to his memory self, both the exact same height, and stared. How long has it been since he last saw his face? How many years has it been that he was able to look at his reflection and not see a skeleton looking back? Other than his old wanted poster, he had no way of being able to properly recall his own face.

His memory self, blissfully unaware of his future self, was now looking to another, which caused the present-day Brook to suck in another gasp as a blond-haired man stepped forward. He was dressed in a green captain's coat with a white cowboy hat on his head and two distinctive tattoos on his face, one under his right eye and the other under his lip, but he had the largest smile out of everyone else there.

"Hey, Captain Yorki! How about we cheer up the little guy with a song?" Brook's memory self suggested brightly.

"C-C-Captain Yorki?" present-day Brook gasped in awe, not sure if he was sure he was seeing this all and if he was having another dream.

The other Straw Hats stared on, not sure what to say or how to handle this. While they all knew that Brook hadn't always been a talking skeleton… to actually see him with actual skin and everything…? The only way that they could really describe how it felt to see him like this was almost like seeing an old friend for the first time in years and marvel at how much they changed.

But Luffy was looking at Captain Yorki with new interest and respect as he asked, "Wow, so that's your old captain?"

"He was," Brook said proudly as he watched how his old captain clapped a hand on memory Brook's shoulders.

"Brilliant idea, Brook!" Yorki called happily, "Everyone grab your instruments!"

"Yohohoho! The Rumbar Pirates can bring a smile to any creature!" memory Brook laughed happily, "Let's show him how we do it, boys!"

And as they all fetched instruments from seemingly out of nowhere, present-day Brook chuckled softly to himself before stating, "So that's how I looked like back then? Hmmm, I had almost forgotten my own face."

"You really let yourself go," Zoro commented with a rather sly tease in his voice as Brook snorted with laughter.

"Hey! I admit that I may have lost some weight since then, but I am still fabulous! My eyes would be popping out of my face right now… though that would be hard since I don't have any, Yohohoho!" he laughed.

"You had the afro even back then, bro?" Franky asked with a laugh.

"Yohohoho, of course! It was my signature trademark!" he said as he fondly petted his hair. "I am so glad that my roots are so strong! But my hair will never grow back if it is ever cut so I need to be careful with it."

"Well, it is an afro, it's supposed to be taken care of," Sanji said as Nami rolled her eyes but was still smiling herself.

"Either way, it is nice to see what you looked like before, Brook, I'm glad that we did at least once," she said.

"Me as well, Nami," present-day Brook sighed fondly.

Just then, just about everyone began to play a song. It was a wild and cheerful version of Binks Brew playing and suddenly everything seemed to be so much brighter. It was loud but all perfectly in sync as many began to dance and sing, causing some of the more playful members of the Straw Hats to cheer and clap and even join in dancing as little Laboon was chirping along happily at the sound.

"Did everyone on your old know how to play an instrument?" Sanji laughed as he looked around them.

"Pretty much," present-day Brook answered, grinning right now if he could, "Almost everyone knew at least one instrument. And the few who didn't were quite adapted singers. Captain Yorki didn't judge anyone who wanted to join so long as they loved music!"

"Your old crew sounds like it must have been so much fun, Brook!" Chopper cheered before the memory faded and suddenly they were all groaning.

"Ahhhh, it was just getting fun!" Luffy pouted, "I wanted to hear more!"

"Yeah! Make the memory come back!" Usopp yelled out, wanting to have another concerts.

"So you guys saw a sad-looking baby whale and decided to cheer him up with a song and that's how you met Laboon?" Robin asked with a smile on her face now. "That sounds just like you, Brook."

"Of course! We were the Rumbar Pirates! A cheerful crew who could bring a smile to just about anyone's faces!" Brook answered back happily. "Not unlike the Straw Hats now that I think of it, Yohohoho!"

The next memory soon returned but this time they seemed to be below deck in the sleeping quarters. They were surrounded by a couple dozen hammocks and wooden beds on the floor while everyone slept; snoring through the bright sunlight that shone through the portholes.

Suddenly the door opened and memory Brook entered, carrying his violin and a big smile on his face and anyone who actually knew Brook knew that he was also a morning person and so this could only mean one thing.

"RISE AND SHINE MY FELLO PIRATES!" memory Brook called out cheerfully, as if nothing in the world delighted him more than wishing them all a good morning, "A NEW DAY IS UPON US AND IT IS GORGEOUS! YOHOHOHO! SHALL WE BEGAN TODAY'S TUNE?"

No one said a word, all of them somehow able to sleep through Brook's loud voice as he waited. After a minute, when it became clear that no one was going to wake up, he cleared his throat.

"I'm surprised they didn't wake up right away," Nami said with a fond shake of her head; knowing that voice of his could wake the dead.

"Now, let me see, what shall be this week's power tune? Ah yes… 'The Famous Black Handkerchief of Happiness.' Don't be afraid to sing along everyone!" memory Brook said in warning before holding up his violin and began to play that loud song, causing cries of annoyance and surprise from his crewmates, trying to block out the noise but unable to do so.

"Stop! Please! All this noise from the start of the morning!"

"Cut it out Brook! It's too damn early for that!"

"We're awake, we're awake Brook!"

"Wow, so we aren't the first crew you tormented with that stupid song," Zoro commented with a shake of his head.

"Now, now, it's always a beautiful new day and I know that you would all hate to miss it," present-day Brook reminded him.

"Besides, you have like… what? 5 to 6 power naps a day? Staying awake for a while would do you some good," Usopp pointed out as Zoro gave him a nasty look.

After memory Brook finally left the sleeping quarters, not that he had a choice since everyone was throwing their pillows at him, they followed him out onto the deck. Indeed, it was another bright and sunny day and he was humming along to himself as he took a deep breath of the sunshine and salty sprays. Present-day Brook then realized that this was a memory of when they were still in the West Blue… which means that these memories were still relatively early in his journey if they hadn't even made it to the Grand Line yet.

Aside from himself, the only other person there was Captain Yorki, who was yawning as he carried a toothbrush in his hands. Upon seeing him, he called down from the upper deck, "Hey Brook, think you can do a ballad of Bink's Brew?"

"Of course! The captain's favorite, coming up," his memory self said as he began to play a softer and gentler version of Binks Brew—sounding almost sad as Captain Yorki continued brushing his teeth.

They enjoyed listening to it until they heard the chirping from beneath them. By that point, many other members of the Rumbar Pirates had come outside and were looking around to see what the noise was. The Straw Hats joined memory Brook and looked over the side to see baby Laboon looking up with big eyes and a smile on his face once again.

"Hey! It's Laboon again!" Luffy pointed out happily.

"Yes, indeed," present-day Brook confirmed with a nod. "I suppose that Island Whales truly do love music and when we played our cheerful tunes to him, he decided to stay with us."

"Puoh~~Puo Puohhh!"

"It's the whale!" memory Brook called with a big smile.

"The same one from yesterday? You're still with us? You should be out there looking for your pod?"

"Puohhn!"

And upon seeing the sweet look on his face, the entire crew of the Rumbar Pirates melted as they sighed lovingly, "Awwww he's so cute."

"Of course he is! Look at the little guy!" Usopp laughed out as some of the crew began to bring out food to try and feed the baby whale.

"Oi, how long is he gonna follow us? Isn't his mother worried about him?!" someone asked curiously as memory Brook called out, shoveling some food into the ocean, "Here, eat some food, Laboon."

"Laboon? Since when did you give the big boy a name?"

"Well, it was his name after that!" present-day Brook laughed as his old crewmates chuckled at the name. "Oh, this brings back everything. To see all of this after so many years…? It… it makes my heart burst with joy! Ah, that would be a bad thing even if I wasn't a skeleton! Yohohoho!"

"Did you ever try to find Laboon's family?" Robin asked him.

"We did," Brook confirmed for her. "We had sailed all across the West Blue for almost an entire year trying to find Laboon's family. But contrary to what you'd think, finding a pod of Island Whales is a lot harder than we first thought it would be. After some time, we could only conclude that they had left the West Blue."

"That's certainly possible," Robin said as she thought it over. "Because of the Red Line, they could never go to the East or South Blues… but they could swim right through the Calm Belts, the Grand Line, and even to the North Blue oceans. They are certainly large enough to be able to protect themselves from Sea Kings if that's the case."

"So I guess that Laboon got separated from his family during a storm or something and ended up coming across the Rumbar Pirates and decided to hang around," Sanji guessed, "Meaning that his family had to eventually move on without him. Though I do think that we ended up running into them after we entered the New World. Can't imagine that there would be too many other pods like that swimming around out there."

"That's so sad," Chopper said with a frown. "But at least Laboon had you and the other Rumbar Pirates to protect him!"

"Yes… yes he did," Brook said as some of his cheer faded and the memory returned. This time they were right in the middle of battle with what looked like another pirate ship. Memory Brook was there, still using his sword as he battled alongside his old friends against the enemy. But soon there was an explosion that caused a couple members to fall, screaming, into the sea. Memory Brook saw this and ran to the side as he cried out, "ARE YOU TWO ALRIGHT?!"

A second later the two came up for air, with one of them holding onto the other, who seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

"You gotta hurry and help us back onboard!" the one supporting his friend cried, "His leg's hurt pretty bad!"

"Captain Yorki!" memory Brook cried, "There are some of us injured in the water!"

"Throw them life buoys! We're kinda busy saving the ship!" Captain Yorki yelled back as he fought against two guys at once.

"I suppose that's the best I can do… since I can't swim…" memory Brook hissed in self-anger as his present self nodded.

He remembered that familiar feeling of helplessness especially back then. Before his power had fully awoken, he didn't have a single ability to make up for his lack of being able to swim. He didn't know how dying worked at the time, nor could he ever be sure that he would be given a second chance like he was promised. In fact, he remembered after having eaten his Devil Fruit and nothing seemingly happened to his body, he had thought that the myths surrounding the Devil Fruits truly were just that. Myths of some foul-tasking fruit and nothing else… at least until the next time he fell into the ocean and needed to be fished out. After looking it up in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, they all agreed that the only one that made sense was the Revive-Revive Fruit and that its true power wouldn't be made known until the current power user died.

He was fascinated by it but at the same time was in no hurry to test it out.

"I'm surprised that you didn't jump in trying to save them yourself, Brook," Sanji pointed out, breaking present-day Brook out of his thoughts. "I mean whenever Luffy or Chopper falls in, you do try to jump in to help… meaning that we got three people to haul out of the sea instead of one."

"Yohoho, a bad habit, I'm afraid," present-day Brook laughed in embarrassment as Chopper grumbled, causing more laughs around.

"But its good to know ya care!" Luffy grinned.

"Puo~!"

Suddenly Laboon appeared beneath the two men, lifting them up onto his round head so that they were out of the water.

"Oh! Laboon! You saved us!"

"Hey! We're alright now, guys!"

"Ah! He said, 'don't you worry! I got your back everyone!'" Chopper translated for Brook, who gasped again.

"Did he really?" he say, "Oh, Laboon! You always were such a gentle soul!"

"I don't think we need to speak whale to understand that though," Zoro chuckled to himself as more memories began to play one after another. Right away they saw the ship at night with memory Brook sitting upon the side of the ship as little Laboon happily swam next to him, chirping as he did.

But upon a particularly loud chirp, memory Brook put a finger to his lips and shushed him gently, "Shhhh, you have to be quite Laboon, you're gonna wake everyone up. Just be patient and wait for the morning, we'll sing you a song then."

He then gave a quieter chirp as the memories of happy days sailing around the West Blue continued to follow, with many songs and cheerful skies as Laboon was there for every minute. At one point, they saw a memory of when the crew found a massive chest filled with treasure and they were showing it off to Laboon as they laughed and danced around happily.

"What's he saying now, Chopper?" present-day Brook asked eagerly as Laboon seemed to be laughing and squeaking at the same time.

"He's saying 'I don't get what's going on but if you guys are happy, so am I'," Chopper translated.

"This is all so sweet! I love the little guy!" Franky sobbed.

"You sure do cry a lot, don't ya, Franky?" Usopp asked, but even he was touched by the many happy moments he was seeing.

"Shut it! I'm hard-boiled!" Franky said proudly, "A real man should never be ashamed of letting his tears fall! Especially when watching such wholesomeness! Little whale… he's so precious and needs to be protected at all costs!"

But no sooner did he say that did another memory appear of Laboon in danger. A large Sea King was chasing after a terrified looking Laboon, getting the attention of everyone on board at once. That was when Captain Yorki called, "Come on, men! Let's protect Laboon!"

They cheered and launched several cannonballs at the Sea King as Laboon swam up besides the ship as if it were his mother to protect him, while the crew all yelled out threats at the Sea King.

"You guys are like one big family," Luffy beamed, "I feel happy just watching you guys. You should have told some more stories about them."

"Truly? Well, I suppose that I should sometimes," present-day Brook said thoughtfully. In truth, he always found it hard to remember his old crew and sometimes speaking of them was painful… but upon seeing his memory self running to the side of the ship to check on Laboon, he realized that maybe he could try and talk about them some more.

When the next memory appeared, they saw them all at the coast of a random island. Most of the rest of the crew were already looking around as memory Brook crouched down at the water's edge, soothing a worried looking Laboon, who was squeaking at them with concern.

"Sorry, little buddy," memory Brook reassured in a calming tone, "We're landlocked today so be a good boy and wait for us here." Laboon chirped but didn't sound happy about it as Brook chastised, "You are a good boy, aren't you?"

At that, Laboon chirped once in understanding as Captain Yorki and a couple others appeared behind him to check.

"He's really grown quite attached to you, hasn't he, Brook?" Captain Yorki smiled.

"Yohohoho. That's because he loves music so much," memory Brook answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Nah, I bet it's just cause your head is the same shape as his," Captain Yorki suggested and suddenly everyone was laughing, including the Straw Hats.

Luffy burst out laughing, holding onto Usopp with one arm as he did so as he yelled out, "YOU KNOW? IT'S TRUE!"

"I TOTALLY DIDN'T NOTICE IT UNTIL NOW BUT YOU'RE RIGHT!" Usopp agreed as others began to laugh as well.

"Yohohoho. Yeah, I got teased a lot about that as well. It was a great joke that I fondly remember," Brook laughed along with his past self, who was unable to come up with anything to counter that because, well, he knew it was true. He just laughed as he patted his afro fondly and promised Laboon that they would be back soon.

The Straw Hats felt that they could watch these happy memories all day, but that soon changed for when the next memory popped up, it looked like a little bit of time had passed, but rather than the cheerful tone they had before, there was a tense seriousness in the air. Everyone was sitting around on the deck, but there wasn't a single smile from anyone as they looked between Brook and Yorki.

At that, Usopp stopped laughing and looked around, his own smile fading before asking, "H-Hey Brook? What's wrong?"

Present-day Brook didn't answer as he watched how his past self seemed to be shaking slightly. He knew at once what this was about. This happened after they had sailed across the West Blue in search of Laboon's family, but had come up empty. It had gotten to the point that they were now looking for excuses to postpone their journey to the Grand Line and they knew that they couldn't keep doing it. The longer that they kept at it, the harder it would be for Laboon if they allowed him to grow anymore attached to them than he was now.

"So, do you think you can do something?" Captain Yorki asked, picking up from a conversation that the memory didn't show. "We all tried talking to him but it's just no good. He just won't listen to us. Do you understand?"

Memory Brook just looked on, his hands clenched and looking to be on the verge of tears as the Straw Hats looked on nervously.

"There's just no way we can continue protecting him like this where we're going," Yorki tried to explain rationally before they heard the familiar chirp of the whale, which, according to Chopper, was asking where everyone was.

"The fact is that he's still a child," Yorki finished grimly in a quieter tone so that Laboon wouldn't hear them, "We can't take him with us to the Grand Line."

"Oh, so that's what it is about," Nami whispered in understanding.

"We always planned to head to the Grand Line at one point," present-day Brook sighed sadly. "We postponed our journey for almost a full year after Laboon came to us. But it got to the point that we just couldn't wait any longer. So… they wanted me to try and explain to him what was going to happen."

"But why you?" Franky asked.

"I suppose I was the closest to him," Brook answered back as his memory self just looked on with defeat in his face and headed to a small platform that had been built into the side of the ship, "Everyone else had tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen. I… I really don't know what I was going to say… but I knew that Captain Yorki was right. We just… protecting ourselves was going to be hard enough. But if even half of the stories we heard of the Grand Line were true, then taking him with us would be the same as killing him and none of us could bare the idea of that happening."

No one spoke as memory Brook was lowered on the platform so that he was close to the water where Laboon could swim up and greet him.

"I need you to listen to me, Laboon," they heard him say as Laboon chirped in agreement. "No, wait we'll sing later we really need to talk first. Look, there's no denying that we are friends but you are still a whale…?"

But Laboon wasn't having any of it as he now began to chirp out angrily and thrashed about in the water as memory Brook tried again and again to reason over Laboon's protests.

"The Grand Line is too dangerous for a young child like you!" memory Brook called out, "It might be different if you were fully grown but there are enormous beasts in that sea! More savage than any in the West Blue! Laboon, please believe me…?!"

But Laboon had enough and splashed him with his tail so that Brook got a faceful of water. With it obvious that Laboon wasn't going to listen any longer, memory Brook had to admit defeat and climbed back onto the deck soaking wet. The others clearly heard the exchange as he stood before Yorki and answered, "I tried but he refuses to listen to me."

"Chopper, please don't tell me what Laboon had said," present-day Brook sighed when he saw Chopper open his mouth and quickly shut it.

Meanwhile Captain Yorki bit his lower lip before suggesting, "Perhaps we should sing then? You know the song?"

"I think that might make it worse," memory Brook sighed.

In the end, the entire crew had decided that they should just ignore Laboon. So, from that moment on, whenever the little whale appeared, they would duck down and refuse to even look at him, hoping that he would just give up and leave.

"That's cold," Franky sniffled at the sight of the crying whale as they sailed on.

"But what else could they do?" Sanji sighed sympathetically, "They didn't think they were strong enough to protect him and that Sea King we saw before? That wasn't even half the size of some of the behemoths we've seen out here. And that's just in the first half of the Grand Line so don't get me started on the New World."

"But that means leaving Laboon all alone in the West Blue?" Usopp pointed out tearfully.

"There was always the chance that Laboon could have run into his family again someday if he remained in the West Blue," Zoro pointed out, "Isn't that what you guys were thinking?"

Present-day Brook nodded sadly as he looked at his memory self, who was tearing up over the heart-broken cries of the little whale and even went to vent to his captain, pleading for him for some other answer.

But Yorki had braced himself for this.

"I know it's tough, but we have to ignore him no matter what," he said firmly, "Don't look back until he swims away. Remember we are doing this for his own good."

Laboon cried out for them as they sailed on silently and the memory faded.

"Do you think that if he had been willing to listen he would have understood?" Chopper asked, sniffling a little and rubbed his eyes as Laboon cried out over and over, 'Why won't you talk to me? What did I do wrong? Where are you guys? Don't leave me alone!'

"But Laboon was already in the Grand Line though," Luffy spoke up, titling his head in confusion.

"Ah, yes, that is true," Brook nodded, who was also crying as the memory faded and slowly began to reshape. "And I am certain that you will see why in just a moment."

Sure enough, the memory returned to reveal stormy skies and violent seas as rain fell hard around them so that it was nearly impossible to see while the waves crashed to the side of the ship as if it were just a toy in the bath.

"This looks familiar," Zoro said as he thought back to the day they entered the Grand Line. Everyone was hanging on tightly, trying to keep the ship steady and the sails from tearing as someone screamed out, "This wind's gonna capsize us! What now?!"

"The helm! It's not working!" memory Brook cried out.

"Forget about the helm!" Captain Yorki cried out, taking command. "We can make it! We're almost there! We just gotta make it through this storm and we'll be right at the mouth of the Grand Line!"

"It was stormy for us when we got to the entrance to the Grand Line too!" Sanji stated as he grinned at the memory of when they went soaring up the side of the mountain and got their first view of the most dangerous sea in the world.

"It was for me when I first came to the Grand Line as well," Robin stated, "But that's the common story. There are almost always storms at the entrance to the Grand Line, isn't that right, Nami?"

"Yeah, I think it has to do with the weather patterns and the different temperatures that clash, it's why the weather in the Grand Line is so unpredictable. I suppose you could count Reverse Mountain as an island in the Grand Line in a sense," Nami said, having to speak loudly to make her voice heard over the pounding rain.

As if the winds were listening, they blew even harder and that time they nearly did capsize until the lookout called from above, "CAPTAIN! THE LIGHTHOUSE! LOOK! RIGHT OVER THERE!"

When they looked up they could see the faint glow of the lighthouse in the distance, the soul ray of light for miles around them.

"You see men?!" Yorki cried, pointing ahead while holding onto his head from blowing away, "What'd I tell you? That's the entrance to the Grand Line!"

At that, there were mixed reactions from everyone. Some of fear, some of excitement, some even of joy as they realized that they had finally made it to the entrance and were about to begin their greatest adventure yet.

Before they celebrated too much, Yorki called out, "Any sign of Laboon, men?!"

"No, sir!" someone answered, "I don't think anyone's caught sight of him for a week now!"

When no one else countered that, for the first time a look of regret and sadness came to his face as he muttered for no one but memory Brook to hear, "I know it was a cruel thing to do, but it was for his own good. Let us just hope that he will be able to reunite with his family someday."

Memory Brook glared at him furiously, but it wasn't like he could say anything against that. Instead, they focused upon the task at hand as they punched their fists in the air, and Yorki cried, "ALRIGHT MEN! IS EVERYONE READY TO DO THIS?!"

"If they weren't, would you have turned back?" Luffy asked their Brook with a grin.

"Yohohoho… nope," was all present-day Brook said with a grin.

But there was no need to worry about that for everyone cheered, fully on board with this as they headed ever onwards towards the lighthouse as Yorki cried out, "THEN LET'S GO! ONWARDS TO CONQUER THE WORLD'S GREATEST SEA!"

They followed the Rumbar Pirates all the way through the storm, up the side of the mountain and down the other side, the ship being torn apart all the while, leaving boards and rope behind as they did their best to try and keep themselves from being tossed aside from the high waves… until they came sliding down the mountain with a mighty crash. The entire trip, Luffy cried out with excitement as he went to sit up near the front of the ship and rode his way down with his face so happy that it seemed almost a crime to try and get him to be serious. Still, he laughed and cheered the entire way as the rest watched on, feeling a little strange in that they didn't have to run around trying to help keep the ship from sinking until the memory faded.

When the images faded and then returned, the sun was out and the sky was clear—as if there had never been a storm at all. They were at the foot of Reverse Mountain as memory Brook, Yorki, and the others were all on shore as they greeted a much younger and strong looking Crocus.

"Wow! He looks pretty strong, didn't he?" Luffy asked in an impressed way.

"Well, I guess being fifty years younger would do that to someone," Sanji offered, thinking back to that grumpy old man they met over two years ago. "I guess if he was going to sail with the King of the Pirates he had to be able to back up his crew. Would've been pretty cool to see him fight back then."

Meanwhile, the young Crocus had already approached the Rumbar Pirates and make introductions as they stepped off their sorry-looking ship. He shook Yorki's hand as he said, "I'm the lighthouse keeper, the names Crocus. I'm impressed you all managed to make it over Reverse Mountain alive. Welcome to the Pirate's Graveyard."

"Hey, give us a break old man," Yorki laughed, "We're not dead yet, are we?"

His crew laughed behind him as he introduced himself as, "I'm Calico Yorki. Captain of the Rumbar Pirates. You might have heard of our exploits in the West Blue, we earned ourselves quite the reputation in those parts. Sorry to drop in on you like this but our ship took one hell of a beating."

"Damn, did the ship take a beating or what?" Franky asked as he looked to the extensive damage done to the ship. "Nothing a little TLC won't be able to cure, but still… that was pretty rough."

"Especially since a little ship like ours was able to make it through in almost one piece," Zoro said, thinking back to the Merry and the minimal damage that it suffered. Sure they had to repair the helm after they got here, but nothing like how beat up the Rumbar Pirates ship was.

"That's because we had such a perfect navigator on our team!" Sanji sighed lovingly at Nami, who smiled back sweetly. But she secretly knew that there was some truth in there. She could see that there were ways that they could have been able to get through the wind and rain with less damage, but she didn't say anything about that as Crocus agreed for them to rest here for as long as they needed to but he expected to be paid with food and booze in the meantime, which caused Yorki to burst out laughing.

"So that's how it is?" he asked, still grinning, "You extort from pirates. Fine by me, by the way you should celebrate with us! Because we're gonna have one hell of a party tonight. AREN'T WE BOYS?!"

At that, everyone else cheered save for memory Brook; he was the only one among them who didn't look happy but it wasn't hard to guess why he was feeling so down. But just as the rest of the crew looked ready to break out the booze, Crocus asked them, "So is that whale that followed you guys down some kind of pet or something?"

"Oh no, don't tell me," Usopp asked, seeing where this was going as the smiles were all wiped instantly from everyone's face. And then, right on cue…?

"PUOHHH!"

Everyone ran to the side of the ship and looked down, but sure enough the little whale was looking up, looking very pleased with himself as the Rumbar Pirates all gasped in horror, save for Brook, who was smiling again.

"LABOOOOOOON!" everyone in the memory cried out as Laboon happily squeaked up at them.

"HE FOLLOWED US!" memory Brook cried out in joy, "I can't believe you stuck with us the whole way! How'd you…?"

But memory Brook ended up leaning too far over the side of the ship in his excitement and was heading straight down to the water as everyone freaked out above. But Laboon was already on it as he dove under before coming up with memory Brook clinging to his head, thanking him for saving him. That was when he noticed the many scratches covering his head and waved his hand over the hurts as he moaned out, "These scars? Laboon look at what you've done to yourself. It was too reckless to follow us through that storm."

"It truly was!" present-day Brook said with a sigh, honestly, he was just a child and it was so dangerous even for a whale to try and follow them through that storm. He had made sure to give Laboon a proper scolding after they patched him up.

But Laboon just chirped happily as Captain Yorki, realizing that there was nothing else he could do now, just called out, "Alright Brook! I think it's about time to play the song!"

"You really like that song, don't ya captain?" someone asked as they playfully hit him in the shoulder.

"You're damn right! It's a song for pirates!" Yorki said proudly, before adding down to the two in the water, "Hey Laboon, you like it too, don't ya?"

"Yeah! It's the best song out there!" Luffy cheered with a beaming smile, looking forward to hearing them play again.

And sure enough, another party began as soon as they finished treating Laboon; and before anyone knew it, everyone began to dance and sing. Laboon was happy again as a few crewmates began to play together in a band while some even jumped into the water to dance with Laboon.

"Dude, your crew sure knew how to have fun, Brook! I would've loved to have had a party with them!" Frank cheered as even Crocus began drinking with them.

"Yes. Even during the hard times, it was kinda a motto that if we just laugh loud enough we could push our way through any hardship," present-day Brook said as he watched his past self twirled about with his violin. When was the last time that he took his violin out to play?

As if guessing what he was thinking, Luffy then ordered him, "Hey Brook! Once we get back to the ship, I want you to play that song for us, ok?"

Brook stared over at him before he was smiling again, at least he would be smiling if he wasn't a skeleton, and replied, "As you wish, Captain."

"How long were you there at the cape?" Nami asked curiously, trying to think back to what Crocus said to them about Laboon's crew.

"Almost three months," present-day Brook answered as the memory faded. "The ship was badly damaged and getting the items we needed to fix it wasn't easy. We kinda had to bargain with other ships that came through before we had everything we needed."

The next memory showed another beautiful day, but this time they were standing at the shore with memory Brook as the final repairs were being made to the ship. Laboon looked to be completely recovered as well as he joined Brook as he crouched down at the shore to talk with him. They could tell what this was about and knew that this would be the moment that Brook would have to break the news that Laboon would have to stay behind this time. But it was different than it was before because it seemed that Laboon looked ready to listen—perhaps finally ready to come to terms with what was going on.

"I hope you can understand," memory Brook whispered to him kindly, "But you can't follow us this time. The Grand Line is too treacherous for you. You're too small to handle the dangers ahead. We don't want anything to happen to you."

Laboon looked sad before memory Brook went on, "I would take you along if I could. But we have no idea what kind of threats we might encounter. And if something happened to you because we carelessly decided to bring you with us we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves. We would do everything we could to protect you."

At that, Laboon's eyes widened and if there was any doubt till now that a whale could understand what was going on, it had faded for he finally seemed to understand what was being said.

Memory Brook then went on, his own voice breaking as well, "Even if it were to cause us to meet our own demise… we would dive head-first to help you. You have to understand… please… I don't want to bid farewell either. Of course not. Not having you with us… it will be hard for me too. But even so… even so…"

An uncomfortable silence followed until another voice spoke up, "No one said it was for good."

They turned to see Yorki standing there with an understanding smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" memory Brook asked, clearly confused.

"Why don't you stay put for a while and wait for us here, Laboon?" Yorki asked before turning his gaze to the vast ocean in front of them. "Our plan is to sail our ship straight across this sea and straight back to where we started. Right back to you, Laboon. Once we sailed through the Grand Line, our ship will have made a circle around the entire world. And that means that we will be crossing the Red Line again just as we are now. We'll come back to this cape as fast as we can. You just wait and see. It'll be maybe two or three year's tops. If you can wait that long then you'll see all of us again."

"You mean that, captain?" memory Brook cried out, joy in his face when he realized what he was saying and Yorki just grinned down at him.

"So what do you think, Brook?" he asked as memory Brook stood up, smiling widely.

"Yes! I don't care what happens to us along the way! Nothing will stop us from returning!" he agreed whole-heartedly, "And by the time that we make it back here you will have grown big and strong enough to travel along with us!"

"We really did underestimate the dangers of the Grand Line," present-day Brook sighed. "They were even more dangerous back then, especially in the New World, since this was before it was conquered by the previous Pirate King. I suppose that we all grew overconfident in our skills since no other pirate could match us in the West Blue…?"

"Hey, you guys were able to make it almost to the halfway mark, right?" Usopp pointed out, "I say that's pretty impressive!"

"Still, even if we had made it to the Red Line… I fear that we would have quickly been annihilated in the New World anyway," present-day Brook said, no a doubt in his mind. "Even if Captain Yorki had still been with us at the time…?"

"Huh, what do you mean, Brook?" Luffy asked in confusion, why wouldn't the captain be with them?

But Brook didn't answer as he watched the final goodbyes with both Laboon and Crocus as they set sail and left the Twin Capes. Everyone was waving their farewells but still smiling despite the sight of leaving their friend behind.

"Laboon!" Captain Yorki called out, "This will be the last time we say goodbye! I promise we'll come back! We're your friends! Nothing'll ever change that!"

Laboon let out a loud chirp goodbye.

"He said 'have a safe trip! I'll be here waiting'," Chopper cried as both Brooks cried as well. And soon they were set upon the ocean waves, still waving with promises to return and Laboon let out loud bittersweet cries as he promised to wait.

"I'm so glad you understand!" memory Brook called as he waved. "Until we meet again you take care!"

"And we will, someday soon, I can feel it," present-day Brook vowed, his conviction stronger than ever. Oh, he couldn't wait to see him again and to share his many songs with him… singing was always better with such a good audience.

"That was so heart-breaking! But you know! I can't wait to reach him again! I wanna meet him!" Franky sobbed out.

"Me too!" Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy cried out tearfully, so touched by the scene even as the memory shifted once more. Several memories shifted in order after that. Through bad weather to loud noises in the dining hall as they heard complaints about how rough these seas were, the Rumbar Pirates never stopped sailing forward. Captain Yorki always had a cheerful smile on his face and Brook was always there to play a song on his violin to raise everyone spirits. Despite the hardships they went through, it was clear that they were as close as family and it reminded the Straw Hats of own their misfit family—making them each suddenly long for the Sunny and to head out to their next adventure.

In one of the memories, they watched as Captain Yorki strung up two of his crewmates by the ankles to the mast as they called out in pain.

"Owww! Captain! Stop it! Why are you punishing me too?!" one of them demanded angrily.

"Because I don't want you two to be fighting over every little thing!" Yorki scolded like a disappointed parent separating his sons so that they didn't hurt each other.

"It's not just some little thing!" he tried to reason, "This lunatic almost hit me with a stray bullet! I could've died!"

"Oh, it's not so bad then," Luffy said with a shrug.

"Not for a rubberman maybe," Nami muttered in a deadpanned voice.

"Yeah well you didn't! And he said he was sorry! What's done is done, no point in going on about it now," he said as the second crewmate stuck his tongue out at him, causing the first to start growing at him until Yorki hit them both.

"OWW! THAT HURT!"

"Good! It proves you're alive!" he said as laughter was sung about the crew.

At that, Luffy laughed again and said happily, "I like him! He seems like a cool guy!"

"Yohohoho, he truly was," present-day Brook agreed, a smile in his voice, "I do believe that the two of you would have gotten along very well, Luffy-san."

But there were some heartfelt moments with the crew as well; such as when memory Brook was out on the deck alone with Yorki, who was drinking. It was night and memory Brook gazed up at the twinkling stars while sighing happily at the sparkling lights.

"Look at the stars," he said with a thoughtful smile. "A sea of light spread about forever. I wonder if Laboon is looking up at the same stars? What do you think, Captain?"

Of course the sweet moment was ruined when Captain Yorki jumped down from his seat and called out with a drunken grin, "Hey guys, come look! Brook's getting emotional out here!"

"I WAS BEING SINCERE! DON'T MAKE FUN OF ME!" memory Brook yelled angrily as Nami rolled her eyes. Leave it to men to ruin such a thoughtful question. Maybe best to just chalk it up to the booze and forget about it.

They also got a look at some of the islands that they visited, the many different people they met, and battles that happened along the way with other pirates and marines. The other Straw Hats grew fond of the crew as well, almost feeling like they were a part of it by the time they saw Yorki got an increase in his bounty and everyone celebrated.

"~Yorki Yorki!~" memory Brook sang, "~A bounty on his head! Out away he flies the noose, the Navy wants his head~"

"There was nothing you guys couldn't solve with a song, could you?" Franky laughed.

"Yohohoho, well, you know what they say about music! When it hits you then you don't feel pain anymore," present-day Brook said, but his joy soon faded as they got closer and closer to the memory he had been dreading to see more than any other. He knew it was coming and he did his best to try and brace against it, but at last the memory reappeared to show a grim-looking sky that looked ready to rain. Everyone was hard at work on the deck, even memory Brook looked like he was carrying a chest to the dining hall when a door opened up at the other end of the ship and a crewmate came out with a terrified look on his face.

"Bad news everyone!" he called, "There's something wrong with the captain! He ain't looking so good! I'm serious!"

At that, every single person dropped what they were doing and all ran to the captain's quarters where a doctor was washing his hands in a bowl just outside the door while they were all demanding answers.

By the time the Straw Hats arrived, the doctor had already given them a brief explanation to what was wrong.

"Fraid so," the doctor sighed as he cleaned off a cooling rag. "Everyone stay out. We got a dozen men infected already. I figured they must have contracted it when we passed through that jungle. I've never seen anything like it. None of my treatments work."

"And he was a very good doctor," present-day Brook exhaled, "Not like you, Chopper, but he knew what he was doing so we knew it had to be serious. Especially if even someone as strong as Captain Yorki fell victim to it?"

"Was he able to get better?" Luffy asked slowly but when Brook didn't answer, he felt as if cold rushed through him as the doctor in the memory continued giving instructions, telling them that they had to be more careful than ever, otherwise the entire crew would be infected. Soon enough though, the memory changed so that now they were outside another island at sunset, but they barely paid any attention to that as they realized that they were in the captain's chambers with Yorki in bed. The man they saw before and this man now… didn't look like they could possibly be the same person. His hair was a matted mess and he had strange blotches covering his skin while a mask over his mouth and nose. Not only that, but it looked like just about everyone else in the crew that was still healthy was crowded inside to see him.

"Please hang in there captain," someone said as Yorki gave a weak chuckle.

"Come on, don't sound so depressed," he said, doing his best to keep up a cheerful tone before giving out a violent cough. "We're the Rumbar Pirates, remember? We bring smiles to children's faces. Though I admit I've seen better days and that goes to the rest of the ship too."

Almost no one had a dry eye as they looked down at him, so sick and weak that he couldn't even sit up—even some of the Straw Hats were openly crying at seeing a man that had been, until this point, so full of life and energy now looking like he was at death's door.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to travel the Grand Line with you," Yorki whispered, "We'll have to part ways here. I'll take this ship but I want all of you to move forward with a new one."

"Captain no," someone whispered but Yorki wasn't having it.

"We can't risk the infection spreading any more than it already has," he reasoned, "We'll try passing through the Calm Belt and look for help for the sick crew members."

"Do you know what this is, Chopper?" Luffy asked the little reindeer, who stepped closer to get a good look at the man's face.

"I'm afraid that I would have to examine him properly to be able to get a full diagnosis," he whispered as he looked over the dark blots on his skin and the fever he could see on Yorki's face, "But if I had to guess, just from the few symptoms I can see, and if he contracted it in a jungle then it's possible that he's sick with Tree Fever…? Which would also explain why it spread so quickly. Everyone would need to get out of here soon, otherwise we risk it spreading to everyone."

"Is… was it treatable?" present-day Brook whispered, wanting an answer so badly but afraid of what he would hear.

"Again… I don't know," Chopper whimpered, hating not being able to give his friend a full answer. "I can't be sure if it is Tree Fever or not. I would have to examine him myself to be certain if it's true. But if it was Tree Fever… then yes. There is a cure. But… again, I don't know for sure."

Then there was a chance… that perhaps Captain Yorki and the others made it through the Calm Belt and found help for them? He silently prayed that it did happen even though his heart, though he didn't have one anymore, was telling him something else.

"It'll all work out somehow, I hope. Give Laboon my regards," Captain Yorki wheezed as more sobs could be heard from the crowd and he laughed. "Wipe those tears and stand up straight!"

But no one could really follow that order with how grim the situation was. As if realizing this, Yorki then ordered, "If you stay any longer then you're gonna end up as sick as me. Hurry up and get out of here. Take care."

And so, one by one, they all left, all of them miserable and crying, knowing that this would most likely be the last time that they would see their beloved captain. They filed out the door until the only person left in the room was memory Brook, who was standing there, as if waiting for orders.

"Why didn't you leave, Brook?" Robin asked softly as she came to stand by him, helping to give him some kind of comfort by standing next to him.

"I suppose I was the vice-captain at the time," he whispered softly. "Meaning that if Captain Yorki wasn't able to continue on, then I would have to step up and take his place for the surviving members of the crew. It had to… it had to be made… official."

They all turned sadly back to the scene, as the last member left the room and the door closed behind him, leaving only memory Brook with his old captain, the silence so tense that it hurt.

"Brook?" Yorki croaked out.

"Yes?" memory Brook asked and slowly approached the bed. Once he was close enough, the façade of forced cheer faded from Yorki's face as he reached up and took memory Brook's hand in his on, now so weak that he could barely hold on. That was when the tears really began to fall as he croaked out, "Give them hope."

At that, present-day Brook couldn't hold back the tears as they flooded down his boney face, while his past self could only stare at his captain, his friend, and shook violently.

"I will, captain!" he cried as he fell to his knees, holding on tightly to his captain's hand with both of his own. "I swear! As long as I live I will never forget those words! I have them here! I've engraved them in my heart!"

Almost all the Straw Hats were crying at this scene, their hearts going out to Brook, who was doing his best to try and stay strong for his friend, promising that he would see this journey through till the end. Chopper, Luffy, and Usopp all hugged their Brook as Franky came up behind them and lifted them all up into the air in a massive bear hug as he threatened to drown them all in tears.

"Captain! We'll meet again!" memory Brook vowed as he seemed to be fighting tears himself, "So take care. We may be parting ways now but this isn't the end! So please don't die. Take off that mask, let me see your face…" and he reached over and flicked off the mask as Yorki kept his head turned away from him, tears falling from his own bloodshot eyes. "We'll all sing together again someday."

And when Yorki looked back at him, memory Brook forced a smile until he was able to smile back.

"I know you can do it," Yorki whispered back in a wheeze, "At this point, you are now the new captain of the Rumbar Pirates. I… I know that you will lead them well… Captain Brook."

At that, memory Brook couldn't hold back his tears and they fell like someone had turned on a facet, not wanting to leave Yorki's side even as he gave him his final order: "Hey Brook… while you're here… why don't you send me off with my favorite song?"

"Oh, Brook, I'm so sorry," Nami whispered as tears shone from her eyelashes.

"That had to be so painful for all of you," Sanji added as they watched as memory Brook finally worked up the courage to leave his captains side after several more long minutes of the two old friends crying. They next found themselves standing at the shore of the island and watched their ship sail away with Captain Yorki and the other sick members of the crew, heading towards the setting sun as Brook played the violin—strangely the only one of the crew that didn't shed any tears as the departure. He was captain now and needed to be strong for them all from this point onwards after all.

"Brook!" Chopper cried out, buried his face in Brook's feathered boa. "I'm so sorry! I wish there was something that I can do to help!"

"I know, but it's alright, Chopper-san," Brook whispered, truly touched that everyone was supporting him through this difficult memory. "It was one of the worst times in my life and I know that it already happened so long ago but…?"

"Don't mention it! We may be late but we're here for you now!" Usopp sobbed, hanging on tightly. "I mean… I know we weren't even born at the time, but after seeing all those memories…? I don't know!"

"He means that we feel like we're a part of your old crew too after all that," Zoro answered in an uncommon gentle tone.

"I understand, still, your words mean so much to me," Brook answered as he wiped the tears away. "But it's alright… I want to remember Captain Yorki and the others as they were meant to be. Happy… and full of life! Living free out here on the seas…? That is how I will remember them and how I will describe them to Laboon when we next meet! So you don't have to be feeling sorry for me."

"He was a really awesome guy, Book," Luffy said as Franky let them all down and the memory faded.

"Yes, I agree… a man whom I was proud to call captain," Brook said as he surprised Luffy and hugged him tightly. In truth, Brook didn't think he could ever find anyone else he would have been so proud to follow and call captain after Yorki left. But if it had to be anyone, he was glad that it was Luffy. He hugged Luffy a little tighter as he remembered those terrible scenes of seeing said captain in Impel Down, strapped to that table as he was slowly being poisoned to death…? It was too much to ever bare thinking about again and silently prayed that he never be forced to see a dear friend like that again. He didn't… he didn't think he could handle it again.

He just continued to hug Luffy tightly and the rest of the crew watched with knowing looks and even some watery smiles—all of them fully getting why Brook needed this. Though Luffy did seem to be a bit lost to why Brook was hugging him specifically, he happily returned it and didn't let go until Brook did at the start of a new memory. This time they were on another large ship, similar to the old one, but now they had memory Brook gazing forward with a new determination in his face.

"I wonder if Captain Yorki made it through the Calm Belt," one of his crewmates asked him.

"That's a question for the waves," memory Brook said bracingly, "All we can do is carry out his final orders. We'll sail around the world until we see Laboon again."

And he certainly looked like he was trying his best to fulfill those final orders even if he didn't look like he felt completely comfortable with being made the new captain. But he seemed to be adjusting well to the idea of acting Captain as he gave orders, woke them all up every morning and shared every meal with them. More and more memories, both good and bad, played before them and Brook couldn't help but take them all in with thankfulness. It had been so long that there were days that he struggled to recall his old crewmates faces and now that he was able to see them all again…? It brought relief as he made sure to memorize each and every single one and their names… to make sure that he didn't forget again.

But at long last they made it to the moment that the Straw Hats all knew had to come… and they knew right when it was when they were suddenly underneath a familiar dark fog. They were still on Brook's old ship… but there were clear signs of battle with the ship battered and sails torn as blood was splattered all over and bodies laid around them.

Memory Brook was still alive as he laid on the deck, bleeding heavily and struggling for breath from the smoke.

"What happened?" Chopper whispered tearfully, not sure if he was ready to watch Brook die even though he knew that their friend would return.

"We were ambushed in the fog," present-day Brook answered softly as he bent down to hug their doctor tightly. "We didn't see it coming until it was too late… and it was… too much for us."

"Are there any survivors?" his past self choked out hoarsely, "Surely a few of us can still stand?"

They watched at how he was trying to force himself up, but could barely do even that. At his call, however, there was movement all around him and they looked around to find that there were some survivors… probably little less than half of the crew was left at this point.

"We got a few men left," someone called with blood dripping down his face, "But I don't think there's much hope left for us at this rate."

"Well, at least we're all dying together, right?" someone else let out a chuckle before looking to a sword embedded in the deck that was dripping with a violet-colored substance.

"Poison?" Zoro said quietly. He looked away with bitterness. He had his own thoughts to enemies who use poison, and while he couldn't rightly say that pirates had no right to complain about such methods… but still…? It was a bit tasteless to use an underhanded tactic.

"Their weapons… they must've been poisoned…" one of the dying crewmates choked out.

"And the doctor's already dead…" another added.

"When I became a pirate, I always knew that I might die on the seas and I was ready for that…" a third wheezed, "But I still… have just one regret."

"Laboon…" someone else whispered.

It seemed that everyone was about to die with this regret on their minds. But then, another crewmate seemed to remember something and looked over towards the memory version of Brook and asked in a shaky voice, "Hey Brook… that Devil Fruit of yours? How does that work…?"

At those words, hope seemed to return to them as they all turned to Brook, who was sitting up, but understood at once what they were all talking about. He was struggling to breathe at this point as he confessed, "Who knows? This is my first time dying,"

"And the last time for a long, long time," Luffy grumbled to their Brook, "Don't you dare go dying on us anytime soon."

"Of course, captain. And I shall happily take that as an order," he agreed as his past self reached into his coat pocket.

"But wait… I have an idea," memory Brook said as he pulled out the small shell that they all recognized at once as the same tone dial he carried with him everywhere while he finished, "If we're going to die anyway… why don't we sing a song?"

"Bro, I don't think that singing will help in this case," Franky whispered but present-day Brook could only shake his head.

"It's alright," he reassured him, "I wasn't sure if I would be returning… but if I was, then I was going to make sure that we didn't die in vain."

As for his past crew, they all understood at once what he was talking about.

"I don't know what will happen anymore than you do," memory Brook said as smiles were slowly breaking across everyone that was left as they realized that the Rumbar Pirate's journey wasn't over just yet. "But if the Revive-Revive Fruit really does bring me back to life here… I will deliver this to him without fail."

Memory Brook, despite looking ready to collapse at any second, gazed fondly around at them all before he vowed, "I'll take Laboon this song he and our Captain loved… the song that we all shared so many times… And when we met again at that cape… he will know this crew died without regrets! And that we kept our promise to our dear friend!"

Everyone was on board with this as they slowly and painfully forced themselves to stand back up. Some were so weak that they needed to lean on some of their crewmates as they prepared to sing one last time. Their best musicians were especially motivated to give this performance their all as they pulled out their battered instruments and memory Brook limped his way over to the piano, pulling it out onto the deck with his fading strength.

It was amazing, heart-breaking, and somewhat horrifying to watch these dying men preparing to give one last performance before departing this world.

"Alright men," someone called as he pulled one of the weaker members up to his feet and had him leaning over his shoulders, "Don't you dare die until we finish this song."

"This is it," memory Brook said as he sat at the piano, "The Rumbar Pirates… Once in a lifetime performance! For our friend across the seas!"

He smiled at them all, tapped his foot, and the familiar song rang out as everyone began to sing.

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Gather up all of the crew

It's time to ship out Bink's brew

Sea-wind blows

To where? Who knows?

The waves will be our guide.

O'er across the ocean's tide,

Rays of sunshine far and wide.

Birds they sing

Of cheerful things

In circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver's town,

Say so long to port renowned,

Sing a song,

It won't be long,

Before we're casting off

Cross the gold and silver seas,

A salty spray puts us at ease,

Day and night,

To our delight,

The voyage never ends.

Gather up all of the crew,

It's time to ship out Bink's brew,

Pirates we,

Eternally,

Are challenging the sea.

With the waves to rest our heads,

Ship beneath us as our beds,

Hoisted high,

Upon the mast,

Our Jolly Roger flies.

Somewhere in the endless sky

Stormy winds are blowing by,

Waves are dancing,

Evening comes,

It's time to sound the drums.

But steady men, and never fear,

Tomorrow's skies are always clear,

So pound your feet,

And clap your hands,

Till sunny days return.

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Gather up all of the crew,

It's time to ship out Bink's brew,

Wave good-bye,

But don't you cry,

Our memories remain.

Our days are but a passing dream,

Everlasting though they seem,

Beneath the moon,

We'll meet again,

The wind's our lullaby.

Gather up all of the crew,

It's time to ship out Bink's brew,

Sing a song,

And play along,

For all the ocean's wide.

After all is said and done,

You'll end up a skeleton,

So spread your tale,

From dawn till dusk,

Upon these foamy seas.

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-hohoho Yo-ho-ho-ho

Despite their wounds and the dead scattered around the ship, not a single one of them had a frown on their faces as they poured their hearts and souls into this final show. They all stood as long as they could as they stained the deck with even more blood.

But as the song slowly came to an end, one by one… their eyes began to roll into the back of their heads as they fell to the deck—dead. But even though many were gasping with their last few breaths, there was still a sense of relief and happiness etched in their voices. Some even cheered, punching the air, before they collapsed as if they knew that it would not be the end for they held onto the hope that Brook would pull through for them. Soon, the only people who remained were Brook and the five other musicians, who seemed determined to finish their part of the song.

As soon as he had played his final note, the first of the remaining five fell over, still smiling peacefully.

"It would seem… we are now down to a quartet…" memory Brook whispered with a smile still plastered to his face.

Another fell…?

"…Trio…"

By this point, neither of the two Brooks couldn't keep up the smile and began to cry.

"…Duet…"

And finally…?

"…Solo."

The Straw Hats could only watch on as memory Brook's body shook with sobs as tears continued to drip down his face while he continued playing the piano, silently crying but never stopping. The cheerful tune felt so wrong at this point as his fingers gliding over the keys of the piano before they heard him whisper out, "It isn't right. Leaving just the accompaniment…"

As he entered into final few notes of the song though, he started to smile again, but at what, they weren't sure, only that they stood together with the present-day version as he looked up to the flag still waving somberly above them as ghosts of Yorki's voice echoed in his mind—assuming he still has something in that empty head of his. But his memory self finished it… the final few notes before he turned off the tone dial… and with that last action he fell backwards. Still smiling as his sunglasses went spinning off from the impact and laid there next to him as he took his final breath.

The Straw Hats were all left in a state of shock as the memory died along with the memory version of Brook, all of them staring at the skeleton, not really sure what to day to all that.

After a moment of silence, Brook wiped the tears away as he searched to find the words that he needed to tell them.

"I am… glad that I we were able to do this much for Laboon," he whispered as he patted his head, the tone dial still safe inside his skull. "But also for me… for that song was the only thing that kept me sane during those long years trapped in the fog. Without that…? I don't know what I would have…?"

"Don't you worry about a thing anymore buddy!" Franky sobbed out as he grabbed him in another bone-crushing hug.

"Yeah! So long as you have us, you don't need to worry about ever being alone like that again!" Usopp yelled in full agreement.

"You tell him! You're our musician now, Brook! And when we get back to Laboon, we'll have him join with us too! I'm sure that he's excited to see the world with us and you can play him songs every day!" Luffy declared.

"How is a whale gonna join us?" Zoro asked with a laugh.

"I don't know! It'll work out somehow!" Luffy said, once again not paying any attention to the smaller details, like usual.

"Well, you heard the captain!" Nami laughed with a fond and exasperated roll of her eyes, "Nothing we can do about it now, I guess. But if he eats us again, I will be giving you boys a stern talking to."

"Yes, I daresay that you are stuck with us all, Brook," Robin chuckled as Brook began to spin about happily.

"Your words are all that I need to keep moving forward!" Brook laughed happily. "I shall carry them forever in my heart! Ah, but that might be hard for me… since I don't have one! Yohohoho!"

"Just how does that all work?" Sanji couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know," Brook answered happily as tears of both sorrow and laughter appeared all around the singing skeleton.

(Yeah I used the English dub version of Binks Brew because it's actually really good, at least to me. I hope that you all enjoyed seeing Brook's memories with the Straw Hats and let me say that it is good to finally be back. Next chapter will be Franky so I hope that you are all looking forward to that!)