Chapter 8
Shadows
"Aaaar—AaaaAAAAARGH…!" Telleran shook and convulsed as if something was writhing within him. His pupils, his visible eye, had shrunken into pinpricks. Blood seeped from the wound along his head and back. The pain was near unbearable! The spider-monkey stood, collapsed, and stood again, flailing with an unshakable urge! He couldn't control his legs!
What had this skeleton done!?
"It's not over yet!" Franky tried to warn them. He was still caught on the floor of Telleran's funnel web bridge. The zombie spider-monkey may have been defeated, but— "He's still a zombie! Even if you cut him, he'll just get back up again!"
"…YoU…!" Robin and Maxwell stood in stunned silence at how the zombie was struggling. Telleran's focus was solely on Brook.
"Yohohoho… Don't worry, I've already dealt with that." Brook chuckled, lowering his cane as he looked back at Telleran. "Zombies have a weak point, too!"
"YoU…! i'Ve SeEn YoU bEfOrE…! sOmEwHeRe—! GEEEH!" Telleran's hands went to his throat. "ARGH! AAAAAAH—!" Something started coming out of Telleran's mouth.
"WHAT IS THAT!?" Franky shuddered in horror. An amorphous black blob was rising out of Telleran's throat. It was solid, yet there was no defining substance. Telleran's head was forced to rear up as it tried to escape upward, stretching like melted cheese or taffy.
"That, is the zombie's 'soul,'" said Brook.
"Soul!?" Franky demanded, "How!? You can clearly see it!" He was pretty sure a soul wasn't supposed to climb out a body like it was stuck in a tunnel of velcro.
Telleran's eyes rolled back in his head. The 'soul' finally snapped free. Telleran's eyes rolled back, and the monster collapsed, like a puppet cut from it's strings. The black mass flew like a ribbon in the air, spiralling up into the fog filled sky.
"Farewell!" Brook waved goodbye as the thing flew away, "Please return to your rightful master!"
"Master…?" Maxwell looked at Brook oddly. The skeleton seemed oddly relieved at the sight.
"GYAH! GENERAL TELLERAN!" one of the Spider Mice screamed. "GENERAL! THE GENERAL WAS DEFEATED!"
Maxwell immediately reached out and squeezed his clawed hand, setting off another Wildfire explosion. "Right, I have to take care of these pests…!" The Spider Mice scattered like rats, running for their lives. They didn't want to become ingredients meant for schichcabobs.
However, Maxwell was able to hear a few words as they retreated… Something about a "Humming Swordsman," "Five years," and "tell the Master…!"
Franky looked between the skeleton and the monster corpse, "He isn't budging an inch… What did you do!?" It was well and truly dead.
"I purified him," Brook replied. "…Oh, and like your friend exemplified, that web is strong, but it's weak to fire."
Franky blinked, remembering he was still pinned to the spider's bridge. "Right…" Then he breathed a little flame at part of the gossamer that held down his arms. It melted the silk and Franky could pull his arm free.
Satisfied that they weren't any more rats scurrying around, Maxwell decided to help his crewmate. He ignited the top of his staff, and jumped down onto the silken bridge. Franky blew fire on his other arm, while Maxwell burned away the silk on Franky's back and legs. Once the cyborg was free, Robin offered him a hand getting up.
Franky brushed some silk off his arms, "So Straw-Hat and the others were kidnapped." The cyborg then looked at Brook, "You sure seem to know a lot about this island."
"Yes. But where to start…?" Brook thought it over for a moment. "If they've already been caught, there is a high chance that we're already too late."
"WHAT!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'TOO LATE!?'" Franky did not like what the skeleton was implying.
Brook put up his hands trying to placate the cyborg, "P-Please don't shout so much. My ears will start ringing!"
…But he didn't have ears.
Then the skeleton spun around, "But wait. I'm a skeleton, so I don't have ears! Yohohoho! Skull joke!"
Maxwell's eye twitched, and so did Franky's. "Why you—!"
"Don't bother," Robin raised a hand before Franky could fire a cannonball at Brook, "He's already dead."
Brook adjusted his hat, "—Anyways, please listen without fooling around."
Franky aimed his arm again. "No~" and this time Maxwell and Robin placated the cyborg. Even if Brook had just did the same thing…
"Like I said before, the rudder on my ship doesn't work and I drifted all alone in this sea for dozens of years… As much as I wanted to escape the Florian Triangle, the rudder was broken, so I was drifting on the tides… Then, by chance, I arrived here five years ago. I was lured onto this island, just like you all were. A barrel floating on the sea, that I was curious about."
"I, who wanted to get out of this Devil's Sea at any cost, went around the island thinking that maybe they had the parts to fix my rudder… But all I found were monsters and zombies. I was chased, accosted, and scared out of my wits. But in the end, I was caught and brought to the mansion."
"What I saw was…" Brook's bones seemed to shudder, "There was a quirky martial artist performer who had been caught before me… And a patched corpse they called a 'Mario.' …When I looked up, a big, scary man appeared and… pulled the man's shadow right off the floor! Then he cut it off, with a large pair of scissors!"
"He… cut off the guy's shadow… with scissors?" Franky repeated, not quite believing it.
"I would have doubted it too if I hadn't seen it with my very eyes…! But wait. I don't have any eyes! Yohohohoho—!" Brook stared dancing like a spinning ballerina again.
"Bastard! You are asking for a knuckle sandwich!" Franky yelled at the skeleton.
"Now you can hit him," Robin gave her permission.
"Yohohoho! Skull—DOH!" Franky walloped Brook right on the afro, planting the skeleton's face into the silken ground.
"Feeling better?" Maxwell asked with a questioning smirk.
Franky snorted like a bull. "Much better."
Despite being on the floor, Brook decided to continue his story, "…I soon followed the same fate. —But the martial artist, whose shadow was taken, fell unconscious. His taken shadow was then pushed into the motionless mario. And then—for some reason—the mario who was supposed to be a corpse, started moving! Just like the performer!"
"Wait—You mean just like the performer? As in an exact mimic!?" Maxwell felt he had to clarify. Mimicry was not an unusual tool for supernatural entities. Taking on the form of other beings. Producing echoes of past memories. They were all dangerous lures to make a victim let down their guard. But copying a person was always near impossible. There would always be holes in the disguise. Details forgotten, or overlooked, that could catch them in the act.
"Yes," Brook nodded, standing up, "You see, a shadow is like a second soul that follows a person where ever they go. It's the same for your own shadows."
Maxwell looked down at his feet. He never thought of it that way before.
"Naturally, from the moment people are born until the moment they die, shadows are a soul that's supposed to continue following you, and never be apart… And the big man who can take those shadows and make them follow him is one of the Seven Warlords, Gecko Moria! The pirate who ate the Shadow-Shadow Fruit!"
"Devil Fruit, huh?" Franky looked between Maxwell and Robin, both of whom where pondering. Devil Fruits certainly provided wondrous and terrifying abilities. But to manipulate shadows, a thing that anything could have… No wonder Moria became a Warlord.
"As long as he has a shadow and a corpse, he can create zombies," said Brook. "But what makes them truly terrifying, is the genius of Dr. Hogback. A renowned surgeon. He can reconstruct those corpses to turn them into even stronger zombies. Using the doctor's skills, Moria has revived the bodies of legendary warriors from cemeteries all over the world. Many such mario's are always kept in storage, in the research lab's freezer."
"Dr. Hogback…" Robin worried at the thought. "Who would have believed that the famous surgeon would be helping a pirate in such a place, after he disappeared…?"
"Hogback… Hogback…" Maxwell frowned, trying to remember. He had heard that name before… "Oh yeah!"
Chopper had been gushing about the surgeon once before, during their lessons. The healer—doctor—was renowned for performing near impossible surgeries on patients, many of which were considered miraculous! He had replaced organs, repaired tendons, operated on the human brain…
"Wait…" The mage then couldn't help but wince, "Dammit… Chopper's going to have his heart broken..."
"So… Moria can make the zombies move but… It's not like he's actually bringing the dead back to life, right?" Franky rolled his hand in a gesture.
"That's correct," Brook nodded. "The personality and fighting skills of a zombie are all dependent of that on the shadow's master. Meanwhile, the strength and power of the zombie is dependent on the mario. If you combine a strong body with a strong shadow, you can create an even stronger zombie soldier. So naturally, Moria wants the shadows of those with wanted posters, and quickly."
"I see… So that's the deal with Thriller Bark. We're all being targeted," said Robin. They were all a prime resource for Moria to pick from. Their crew was small, but the Straw-Hat Pirates were unusual in the fact that every crewmate had a Wanted poster of themselves. They issued by the World Government, for crimes committed against the public and governing bodies.
…Admittedly, the crew had been involved in quite a few predicaments, in the short time they've sailed together.
Robin brushed a thumb, rubbing, across her chin, "I imagine, Moria's favourite aspect of the zombies could be their obedience. But it's probably hard to control such a strong warrior."
Maxwell couldn't help but give a light snort, despite himself. "There is no probably about it… It's fact. Shadows and spirits may be different, but we had classification systems for undead back in Thedas. Revenants, Arcane Horrors, Shambling, Devouring, Berserk Corpses... Pride and Desire demons were the most dangerous spirits to take possession of a corpse, and the most volatile. If spirits that powerful were bound, they would not do so willingly. And… f #$ me…"
Moria was a mage in all but name. A blasphemous, marauding, unrepentant necromancer, with no oversight!
"…You… You've actually seen natural undead…!?" Brook stuttered, looking at Maxwell.
"…Once. But they're not as articulate as the abominations Moria has here." Maxwell didn't elaborate any further. "I assume once he has a shadow, Moria gets rid of the original host?"
"Yes…" If the skeleton had eyes, he would have blinked, "Once he has it, he has no use for the original, and sets them out to sea."
"In that case, they're all in trouble!" said Franky. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy were all likely unconscious by now. They'd become marooned if they didn't find them!
"They'll be fine!" assured Brook. "We still have time, so let me tell you my plan. Please believe me and do as I instruct."
"…What!?" Franky's mug scowled, "Why should we believe you!?"
Brook brought a skeletal hand to his chest, "GUAH! I am shocked to my skull, good sir!" Then he started spinning around, "But I haven't bickered like this in decades! It's FUN~!"
Robin and Max look at each other, "…We're willing to hear you out, so get talking."
The dressed up skeleton froze mid-spin, hearing the serious tone in Robin's voice, "…Okay," then stood back to attention, "First and foremost, you all need to return to your ship."
"Return to the ship?" questioned Franky. "Back to the Thousand Sunny?"
"That's right," Brook nodded. "The worst thing that could happen to your nakama, who have already been caught, is to have their shadows taken. But even if they have their shadows stolen, it's not like they'll die. They would just end up like me! …Wait. BUT I'M DEAD!" the skeleton wailed.
"THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY!" Franky barked the skeleton, but quickly calmed down. "So, they won't die, even if they have their shadows taken."
"That's how it is! But the second it's taken, they'll lose consciousness and be asleep for 2 days. During that time, the strong ones are taken back to their ships and driven out of Thriller Bark… But do you know why?"
"So that the victims won't come back to the island to get their shadows back," Robin answered.
"Correct!"
"Why not kill them while they're unconscious?" Franky wondered. It was a legitimate question.
"They can't do that," said Brook. "This is particularly important, so please listen carefully…"
"The original host and the shadow might be separated, but they are still one flesh! If the person dies, their shadow dies as well. Meaning, the zombie loses its life at the same time! So to prevent this, our enemies make sure that the victim is left alive. So even if your friends' shadows are taken, they'll definitely be left alive and sent back to the ship!"
Brook then started waving a finger, "If you also become sacrifices, then that would be our worst situation. If all the members of your crew have their shadows taken, you'll be sent adrift to wander at sea. The only thing we can do to save your nakama, is to look for the chance to retrieve their shadows!"
"I see... That sounds logical enough," Franky crossed his arms.
"Also, this is for you…" Brook then took out three little pouches from his inner coat pocket. He handed each of them a bag.
"What is it?" asked Maxwell.
"This is the zombies' weakness. The proof is what you saw with the spider-monkey a while ago!"
"No, literally, what is it?" Maxwell asked. He had already opened the bag and pinched, rubbing, a small amount of crystals falling back into the pouch.
"It's salt."
"…Salt!?" Franky raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "Shouldn't it be some kind of charm to beat and purify evil beings or something?"
"Well, if you say it like that…" Brook trailed off for a moment. "The zombies move through the powers of a Devil Fruit. And since salt has the power of the sea, the flesh loses the binding it has with the fake soul."
Franky nodded, "Alright… So what that monkey spat from his mouth, was the shadow he had inside of him."
Robin placed a hand against her cheek, "For them to have such a weakness…"
"It's not the worst idea," said Max. He remembered preforming rituals in Faxhold Tower, using salt to draw the diagrams. Salt was a good conduit for magical energies, besides lyrium, and their Circle never had issues securing it. One of the benefits living in a lighthouse.
"In conclusion, to beat a zombie, you just have to stuff some salt into their mouth! That's the trick! The trick, I say~!" Brook started dancing again. They'll also need to coat the crew's weapons with a paste later. Maxwell was pretty sure he didn't see Brook throw a dash of salt into Telleran's mouth.
"But Brook, how did you become so knowledgeable about the zombies and this island?" asked Robin.
Brook stopped twirling and didn't look at them, "…My shadow was taken from me some five years ago. Of course, my ship was set to become adrift. But fortunately, I awoke just as I was being sent out. I returned to the island and fought the zombie who had my shadow... And I lost, miserably." The skeleton's afro'd head drooped in sorrow.
"…I feared for my life, so I ran away. No matter what, I didn't want to die! …I stayed alive. Even it was alone on my ship, I wanted to keep the promise I made with my nakama…! One day, I'll get out of this Devil's Sea…! I ran because I treasured my life!"
"…But surviving wasn't a solution to anything," Brook shook his head. "That's why, this time, I won't run away anymore! Until I win against that man and recover my—!" The skeleton flinched, as if remembering something. His spine was rigged, and Brook's grip on his cane was starting to become shaky.
Maxwell frowned. Brook was afraid to die again. Wasn't he…?
"…Ah. I am so sorry. We're all in a hurry, so I'll go on ahead!" Brook waved his hat in farewell, "Take care!"
"Hold it!"
The skeleton froze before he could take another step. "There is one part of your story that you left out..."
It was Franky's voice had that told him to stop.
"Answer my question. If you go in front of people with that appearance… You know how they'll react, don't you? You're talking skeleton—you won't make any friends. You'll be ostracized for being different. Abnormal."
Robin was surprised to hear this coming out of Franky's mouth, "Franky, what are you trying to—"
"Even if you get out of this evil sea," Franky kept going, "You wasted years in despair and you might just follow the same fate as your crew. Didn't you say, 'I got so lonely that you wanted to die?' If I was you, I would have taken my own life years ago..."
Maxwell looked over at Franky, wondering where he was going with this line of question. Franky had a point, but he was definitely being insensitive asking all of this. The mage sympathized with Brook to a point, even if he didn't believe Brook wasn't fully human.
"You're life bites. And despite that, you try to act like a gentleman. So tell me the truth. What was the promise you made to your nakama?"
"Franky!" Maxwell barked at the cyborg. That was a dangerous question, even if Brook really was human!
"…Yohoho… You sure don't care about timing, do you?" The skeleton shook his head, but answered Franky's question.
"It's very simple… Long ago, our crew had to leave one of our nakama behind… It was a hard decision for us. When we set sail, we vehemently swore that we would return…!
"And then we were annihilated in this ocean. We couldn't keep the promise we made with him."
Brook's grip on his cane tightened, "I revived, leaving my comrades behind in death, and had to continue sailing all alone... As the sole survivor of our crew crew, it is my duty to tell him what happened to us! …I think it's been almost 50 years now, since the day we died…"
Franky balked, "50 years!? Seriously!? I wasn't even born back then! I'm sorry, but there's no way a guy could've waited that long."
"Then you must wonder why—!?" Brook stopped himself and let out a sigh, "…He's most likely not waiting there. And he has every right to give up on us… But… by chance… What if he believed in our promise, and is still waiting for us? Can you imagine how lonely he'd be by now? Thinking he's been betrayed by his nakama…! What if he's waiting even now? How miserable he must be feeling!"
"Dude…" Franky was starting to feel bad for Brook, but Maxwell had stepped in front of his comrades. The mage tighten his grip on his staff. If Brook was a spirit or a demon, he could lash out at any minute!
"We swore to reunite with him on the capes of that mountain. His name was… Laboon."
…
…
…
"…Laboon?" Maxwell repeated slowly. That name had made him pause. Brook wasn't talking about—?
"Ah…" The skeleton's shoulders sagged, "There was no way we could taken that little whale on such a dangerous journey… I can only imagine how big he's become by now..."
Maxwell's eyes widened in shock. Brook, this skeleton's former crew, were the same pirates that left Laboon behind at Reverse Mountain!?
"Your nakama was a whale!?" Franky asked.
Brook looked back at Franky but nodded, "…Indeed." Then he looked up and started to reminisce, "I can't help but think he always believed we'd come back. He'd think we'd play our cheerful music like always… And that we'd come back, waving our hands. I don't think he'd ever forgive us for dying in vain. I think he'd yell at the distant skies for us making such a selfish promise..." Brook made a sniffle, even if he didn't have a nose.
"Death doesn't count as an apology… BECAUSE A MAN PROMISED TO HIM THAT HE'D DEFINITELY COME BACK!"
It was a declaration. Not the ramblings of some corpse. A bonafide vow of love, honour, and desperation! He had to get out of this sea. He had to make up for his mistakes. He had to honour his comrades, so their deaths wouldn't be in vain! Brook had cheated death, and he had been paying for it over the last 50 years…!
…Maxwell came to a decision.
"Brook."
The skeleton fully turned around this time.
"I am only going to ask this once…" Maxwell looked at him straight in the eye sockets, "Do you consider yourself human?"
Brook was silent. Maxwell's eyes bored into him, as if trying to see his very soul. Still the musician had an answer.
"Yes…!"
…
…
…
…The mage then sighed.
"Then you better go get your shadow back, Brook... Because, there's hope for you yet."
Maxwell turned around, fully intending to enter the mast of Thriller Bark. But then the mage stopped, not bothering turning around.
"…He's still waiting for you, Brook. Out there, on the cape of Reverse Mountain, in the mouth of the Grand Line. Laboon is still waiting for you…"
Maxwell then left, climbing into the end of the former bridge.
"…What?" Franky looked at Maxwell confused. So were Brook and Robin, but only Franky was reacting.
"Hey. Max…! Where are you going!?" There was a certain weight to Maxwell's words, like he knew something they didn't. "You can't just spout some wizardry bullshit like that and expect us to not have questions! HEY!" Franky started to chase after Maxwell.
Robin looked between her retreating friends and the dressed up skeleton. Brook had stood rigid and seemed to be in silent shock… But it didn't seem like he'd move anytime soon.
So, she left. Leaving Brook alone on that funnel web bridge.
"…Laboon… He's… still waiting…!?"