Meanwhile.
After bringing Sanji aboard the warship, Garp wasted no more time in the East Blue, ordering the ship to set sail directly for the Calm Belt.
As the warship crossed the Calm Belt and officially entered the Grand Line, the unpredictable weather of the Grand Line stood in stark contrast to the East Blue's calm.
One moment the sky was clear and sunny, the next it could be roaring with thunder and lightning.
The kids on board were almost constantly causing chaos, with only the disciplined Zoro staying out of it.
Having loaded all the weight plates in the ship's training room and still finding it insufficient, he spent nearly all his time training, except for eating and sleeping.
"Meat! Meat! My meat!"
Luffy's wails once again echoed across the deck as he watched the last piece of grilled meat on his plate get snatched away by Sanji's fork and placed onto Nami's plate.
"Nami-san, please enjoy," Sanji said politely, with impeccable gentlemanly demeanor.
Luffy's face fell instantly, drool streaming from the corner of his mouth like a tiny waterfall.
He abruptly turned his gaze toward Usopp.
Usopp shuddered, immediately shielding his plate and staring at Luffy in panic.
"Y-you, what do you want? This is my last ration!"
"Hehe, just one bite." Luffy's neck suddenly stretched out, his head shooting toward Usopp's plate like a cannonball.
"Thump!"
A foot precisely kicked Luffy in the face, distorting his features and making his elongated neck "whoosh" back into place.
Sanji retracted his leg, straightened his suit, and glared angrily at Luffy.
"No disrespect toward food or ladies, you stupid rubber man!"
Luffy covered his face and looked pitifully at Garp, who was watching the scene unfold.
"Grandpa!"
Garp yawned, casually stuffing a giant rice cracker into his mouth while pretending not to hear.
Just then, the sky darkened without warning.
It wasn't due to clouds blocking the sun, but an eerie, pitch-black darkness where you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.
Thick fog surged from all directions, completely swallowing the massive marine vessel.
Visibility instantly dropped to less than three meters.
The air grew cold and damp.
"What's happening?" Nojiko nervously grabbed Nami's arm as the ship's noisy atmosphere abruptly fell silent.
Nami also turned pale from the sudden black fog, clutching Nojiko tightly.
Usopp was even more dramatic - tears and snot instantly gushed out as he scrambled to hide behind Ace, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Zoro stopped his sword practice, while Ace adopted a battle-ready stance.
Sanji also stood straight, the three forming a triangular formation as they warily scanned the thick fog.
Luffy, however, was different.
Curious, he leaned over the ship's railing, straining to peer into the fog.
Suddenly, a melodious yet eerie singing voice emerged from deep within the mist.
"Yohohoho, yohohoho..."
"Bringing Binks' brew to you..."
The singing, accompanied by violin melodies, echoed through the dead-silent sea of fog, adding an even more sinister atmosphere to the already eerie scene.
An unimaginably massive, dilapidated sailing ship emerged silently from the fog like a ghost, its hull covered in tattered sails and seaweed.
"AHHHHH—"
"A ghost ship!" Nami and Usopp screamed in perfect harmony.
"Ahahaha, it seems this old man has found the right place!"
Garp's hearty laughter shattered the fear.
He bent his legs slightly before launching himself like a cannonball, soaring dozens of meters through the air to land heavily on the ghost ship's deck.
On the ghost ship, the singing abruptly stopped.
A skeleton with an afro was holding a violin, staring blankly at the uninvited guest who had descended from the sky.
It was Brook.
Since Gecko Moria had already joined the Marines and become Orion's subordinate, his stolen shadow had long since returned.
"Hello?" Brook tilted his skull, empty eye sockets fixed on Garp.
Garp pulled out a crumpled list from his pocket, checked it against the moonlight, then looked at the afro-sporting skeleton before him.
"That's right, it's you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Garp's figure instantly vanished from sight.
Brook only saw a blur before an overwhelming, terrifying pressure assaulted him.
The next moment, an iron fist wrapped in black Haki filled his vision, growing infinitely larger.
"Thud!"
With a dull impact, Brook's head was struck hard.
The soul fire in his eye sockets flickered twice before completely extinguishing.
Immediately after, the skeleton collapsed limply.
"Huh?!"
"That's it? It's done already?" Garp blinked in surprise, not expecting Brook to be unable to withstand even a single punch from him.
However, he didn't ponder further, as his task was simply to "capture" people according to the list.
Casually slinging Brook over his shoulder, he leaped once more and returned to the warship's deck.
Thud.
Brook was dumped on the deck like a sack of potatoes.
"AHHHHH!!!"
Nami and Usopp, upon seeing a moving skeleton being brought back, immediately rolled their eyes back, collapsed stiffly, and foamed at the mouth.
"Skeleton?"
Unlike Nami and Usopp's reaction, Luffy curiously approached right away, poking Brook's ribs with his finger.
"Grandpa, can you eat this?" he asked with an innocent expression. "Bone soup seems very nutritious."
Zoro, Ace, and Sanji's lips twitched in unison.
A glutton is a glutton—even a skeleton isn't spared!
Just then, Brook's fingers twitched where he'd been thrown, and the azure soul flames rekindled in his eye sockets.
"Yohohoho!"
"Did I fall asleep? I had a nightmare about being punched in the head by an iron fist..."
Brook wobbled as he sat up, rubbing the cracks in his skull.
"The... the skeleton is talking?" Usopp, who had just regained consciousness, was scared out of his wits once again.
Ignoring Usopp's reaction, Brook silently scanned his surroundings.
When his gaze fell upon Nami and Nojiko, his empty eye sockets seemed to light up with two heart shapes.
He sprang up from the ground instantly, adopting an elegant gentleman's posture as he approached the two sisters and gave a slight bow.
"Though it may be rather abrupt, my lovely ladies—"
"Might I catch just a tiny glimpse of your panties?"
Huh?
Everyone present was stunned into petrification by Brook's sudden request, and the air instantly froze solid.
After a brief two seconds.
"Die, you perverted skeleton!!!"
Nami's fear was completely replaced by fury.
Her seemingly slender fist carried terrifying force as it smashed squarely into Brook's facial bones.
Bang!
Brook went flying backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing against the cabin wall before bouncing back.
Still not satisfied, Nami charged forward in a flash, grabbed one of Brook's legs, and executed a perfect shoulder throw, slamming him hard onto the deck.
Immediately after, she jumped up and began stomping wildly on Brook's body.
"Stomp! Stomp! I'll stomp you to death, you pervert!"
Watching this scene from the side, Usopp trembled in fear, thinking that compared to this skeleton, the enraged Nami was the real monster.
"Ahahaha, alright, alright, Nami."
Garp laughed as he pulled the still-fuming Nami away.
"He might become your companion in the future."
With that, Garp turned to Brook, who was reassembling his scattered bones after being stomped.
"You're Brook, correct? I am Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. By order of Fleet Admiral Orion, you are hereby conscripted to report to Marine Headquarters."
Brook paused in reassembling his skeleton and adjusted the top hat on his head.
"Fleet Admiral Orion?"
"The iron-blooded fleet admiral who rose to power through a military coup? I've read about his exploits in the newspapers."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly let out his signature laugh.
"Yohohoho... That sounds quite interesting! Well, I've been alone for so many years anyway—I'll accompany you for this trip!"
"Ahahaha, it's no longer a matter of whether you're willing or not now!"
"But your straightforwardness has saved this old man a lot of trouble!"
After a brief pause, Garp turned his head toward Bogart nearby and declared with unbridled boldness:
"Pass the order—"
"Full speed ahead! Destination, Drum Kingdom!"