"Yohohoho…"
Brook leaned against his shovel in the field, watching the pouting little girl he called Little Labu. His hollow eyes softened with a fatherly warmth.
"Little Labu, don't be angry."
The girl turned sharply, cheeks puffed as she glared at him.
"Brook, you promised me. You said you wouldn't let them bully you!"
Brook scratched his afro lightly, letting out his usual strange laugh.
"Ah, I am sorry, Little Labu. Arguing with children is quite difficult for me. After all, I am a gentleman nearing ninety years old, I must maintain some dignity."
He paused, then added cheerfully,
"Though I no longer have a face. Yohoho…"
"Hmph."
The little pink pig trotted up beside Brook, wagging excitedly as it rubbed against his leg. It lifted its hooves, pawing at him happily.
"Yohoho, Fatty is very well-behaved today."
Brook gently patted the pig's head, clearly pleased.
"You're hopeless!"
Little Labu crossed her arms, her voice filled with frustration.
"You're so old, yet you cannot even take care of yourself. You always make me worry about you! I left your lunch there, make sure you eat it. Fatty, let's go!"
She took the lunch from her bag, placed it carefully on the ground nearby, then turned away with a pout.
"Hmph!"
The pig grunted twice, reluctant to leave, but eventually followed her, its round body swaying as it waddled after the girl.
Brook watched them go, standing silently as they disappeared into the distance.
"Wuwu… she really is a good child…"
He wiped at his empty eye sockets, as if brushing away tears that did not exist, before walking toward the meal she had left behind.
"Yohoho, wild vegetable rice balls today. How wonderful."
He picked up the simple rice ball, lightly seasoned with salt, yet he ate it as though it were a luxurious feast.
"Yohoho, just a little short of Sanji's cooking. Little Labu truly has talent."
A gentle smile formed on his face, filled with warmth and affection.
For a brief moment, a thought crossed his mind.
If he had not accepted that invitation long ago, if he had never boarded that pirate ship…
Perhaps he would have lived a quiet life. A home, a kind and sensible daughter like Little Labu, a few loyal animals like Fatty.
Perhaps that was the life he once desired.
He chuckled softly.
Who could say.
…
Five months had passed since Brook was separated from the crew at Sabaody Archipelago.
Originally, Bartholomew Kuma had intended to send him to a far colder island, a place with a freezing spring said to rival the depths of the underworld. If Brook could master that chilling power, his swordsmanship might have reached a level comparable to the Ice-Ice Fruit.
However, fate had other plans.
The paw-shaped force that carried him burst apart midway, sending Brook crashing onto a nearby island far earlier than intended.
That island was desolate.
At its center stood a massive man-made stone altar, piled high with bones. Countless skeletons were scattered across it, most belonging to animals, though some were unmistakably human.
It was clearly a place of offerings.
"Ahhh! Shirogai, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, help me! So many skeletons!"
Brook had landed directly in the middle of it.
Despite being a skeleton himself, he panicked immediately, running in circles in terror.
Ironically, nothing frightened him more than skeletons.
Even if he was one.
For nearly a month, Brook wandered that island, surviving on almost nothing. With no resources and only the altar surrounding him, he came dangerously close to starving.
Then, one day, everything changed.
"Heave-ho… heave-ho…"
A small, fragile canoe drifted toward the shore.
A little girl climbed out, struggling under the weight of a small pink pig tied to a stick across her back.
"Finally… the Spirit Altar Mama talked about…"
Brook hid quietly in the nearby bushes, careful not to frighten her, listening as she approached the altar.
"Spirit, I brought the most valuable thing our family has. Can you bring my Papa back?"
She gently placed the pig onto the altar, her hands trembling.
Then she clasped them together, closing her eyes in earnest prayer.
"I want my Papa to come back. I have never seen him, but Mama said he loved me. Even after Mama died… he never returned…"
Tears streamed down her face.
"Please, Spirit… help me find him. I do not want to be alone anymore…"
"Wuwu… how pitiful…"
Brook covered his mouth, unable to stop himself from crying.
"Huh?"
The girl turned in surprise toward the rustling bushes.
"Did the Spirit really come?"
Excitement filled her face as she ran forward.
And then…
She saw him.
A living skeleton, crouched in the bushes, crying his heart out.
"Wuwu, do not be afraid, little girl, I am…"
Brook began to explain, trying his best to appear gentle.
The girl froze for a brief moment.
Then suddenly, she rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.
"Papa! You finally came back!"
"…Huh?"
Brook stood there, completely stunned.
He had expected to frighten her.
Instead, he was the one left speechless.