Watching Sanji get knocked down by Nami, everyone burst into laughter—this guy really never changed.
"Hmph, still the same old Pervert Kappa," Zoro scoffed.
"What would you know, you Moss Head?!"
"At least I'm better than a Pervert Kappa."
"You bastard, wanna fight?!"
Sanji, having fully recovered, sprang up in an instant and butted heads with Zoro, the two immediately locking horns.
"Yohohoho, you two really get along well," Brook chuckled.
"Who gets along with him?!" X2
"Stop copying me!" X2
"Hmph!" X2
"Don't mind them," Meiser said with a laugh. "This is just their daily routine. You'll get used to it."
Since joining the Straw Hat Pirates, he'd noticed these two genuinely seemed restless if they didn't fight at least once a day. Though their reasons for fighting were always bizarre, it inevitably boiled down to those same few insults.
"Yohohoho, how amusing."
"The power of Devil Fruits truly is extraordinary," Franky mused, stroking his chin. "Not only can they bring people back to life, but they can even make skeletons grow hair."
"Ah, this hair isn't because of a Devil Fruit," Brook said, grabbing a handful of his own hair. "This is my natural Afro."
"After death, your body turned into a skeleton, but your hair remained intact?"
"As strange as it sounds, that's the truth," Brook laughed. "Perhaps my hair roots are just exceptionally resilient. Even as a skeleton, my hair won't disappear. Yohohoho~"
"Is that really something hair roots can explain...?" Nami muttered.
Normally, if a body turned to bones, any remaining hair wouldn't stay perfectly preserved like this. This guy was clearly abnormal.
"Well, the hair survived," Brook said. "For me, that's something worth celebrating."
Now that he was a skeleton, if he'd lost his most iconic Afro, he wouldn't have been able to reunite with Laboon. So he was deeply grateful to have been resurrected with his hair intact.
"That hair of yours is quite distinctive."
"Yohohoho! Like hair struck by a bomb—an Afro!" Brook stood up, raising both hands triumphantly.
"Whoa!"
"Afro!"
Watching Luffy join Brook's antics, Nami sighed and facepalmed. Why were they all acting like children?
"Haha, Brook's so fun!"
Sitting on a stool, Merry swung her legs while cupping her chin in her hands, thoroughly entertained by Brook.
"Yohohoho, and you're absolutely adorable~"
The compliment made Merry blush slightly.
"Hm?"
Leaning against the wall, Meiser suddenly noticed a peculiar detail—why wasn't Brook's reflection visible in the restaurant's specially designed glass tank?
"Hey, Brook."
"Yes?"
"Why don't you have a reflection?"
The moment he said this, everyone froze before following Meiser's pointing finger. Their eyes widened in shock.
"It's true—he really has no reflection!"
The reflection on the glass showed the images of all the Straw Hat Pirates—except for Brook, as if he never existed in the first place.
This shocking discovery sent Usopp leaping to his feet in terror.
"Hey, you—you're not a vampire, are you?!" Usopp cried in horror. "Now that I look closely, you don't even have a shadow!"
"What?"
"So it's not because of the Underworld Fruit—you've turned into a vampire?!"
Usopp and Chopper immediately huddled together, trembling as they pointed a makeshift exorcism tool at Brook.
"Wow, no shadow? That's amazing!" Luffy gasped in awe.
"Your sense of amazement is seriously misplaced..."
"Everyone, please calm down," Brook said, pulling out a chair and sitting back down. "This is... quite a long story."
As he spoke, Brook picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip, his expression—somehow—appearing rather relaxed.
Though no one could explain why, his skeletal face just gave off that vibe.
"Hey, aren't you being way too calm about this?!" Sanji roared, his mouth twisting into a shark-like grimace. "Explain properly, you bastard!"
If this guy dared to deceive them, they wouldn't hesitate to beat him up—especially since he'd already eaten his fill.
"Yohohoho, so strict."
After laughing, Brook composed himself and said, "Actually, me being a skeleton and having no shadow are two entirely separate matters..."
Usopp watched Brook nervously, half-expecting him to outright admit he was a vampire.
"If you wish to know what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode."
"Tell us right now, you bastard!"
Nami hurled a glass at Brook's head, leaving another large bump swelling on his skull.
"Yohohoho, such fire."
"Wait, how can he even grow bumps?!" Usopp gasped in shock.
"No way!"
Chopper was utterly dumbfounded as he stared at the new lump on Brook's Afro. Since when could skeletons grow flesh?!
At that moment, Chopper—as a doctor—felt his entire worldview shatter.
"Never mind the bump! Just tell us how you lost your shadow," Sanji pressed impatiently.
"Ah, well... it was because of a man," Brook replied. "Several years ago, my shadow was stolen by him."
"Whaaat?!"
"That's possible?!"
"At this point, nothing surprises me anymore," Zoro muttered. "Even a walking skeleton exists."
"It must be the power of a Devil Fruit," Nico Robin added. "Only a Devil Fruit Ability User could do something like that."
"Indeed, it was the power of a Devil Fruit," Brook said, setting down his teacup with a solemn expression. "Using immense demonic power, he stripped away my shadow—robbing me of the ability to live under sunlight."
"But you're still alive."
"Only because I avoid sunlight," Brook explained gravely. "If exposed, I would die."
"Sunlight..." Meiser mused, then nodded. "I think I understand now."
He knew a few people who manipulated shadows, and after studying some intel on certain techniques, he had a few theories of his own.
I just wonder how this shadow manipulation ability compares to the Shadow Clone Technique.
"What do you mean?"
Luffy looked at Meiser in confusion, completely failing to understand.
"When an object blocks the straight-line propagation of light, preventing it from reaching the target area, that's what creates a shadow," Meiser explained. "After losing your shadow, it appears as if light passes directly through your body."
"Simply put... it's as if you don't exist!"
"This rule could potentially cause your very existence to disappear. Am I right?" Meiser said this last part while looking directly at Brook.
"This gentleman is quite clever indeed," Brook chuckled. "That's exactly right."
"Just as I cannot see my reflection in glass, light cannot be blocked by me."
"If directly exposed to sunlight, my body will burn and eventually turn to ashes."
"That's the price of being rejected by the sun!"
"So now I've not only lost all my crewmates, but I'm also a skeleton rejected by sunlight!!"
"That's so tragic..."
"Even so, I've managed to survive, yohohoho~"
Brook laughed heartily, as if doing so could dispel the pain in his heart.
Watching this scene, Little Merry's eyes grew slightly red.
"Such a poor skeleton..."
"Yohohoho, what a kind little girl," Brook said with a gentlemanly bow.
"But don't worry, I'm truly happy today!"
"Yohohoho!"
Seeing Brook's extreme optimism, the others couldn't bring themselves to laugh.
"Drifting alone on the sea for decades, reminiscing about the past in solitude," Brook suddenly lowered his head. "No sails, the cabin destroyed, just drifting with the currents."
"I... was truly lonely!"
"If not for my lingering regrets, I probably would have died long ago."
"But... it's wonderful that I lived this long. Meeting all of you is truly wonderful!"
"Yohohoho~"
"If I could still cry, I'd be weeping tears of joy!"
"Yohohoho~"
This time, though Brook was laughing loudly, everyone could tell he was actually crying.
It was just that, being nothing but bones, he couldn't shed a single tear.
"Please don't be sad, everyone. I'm already overjoyed to have met you," Brook said before turning to Luffy. "Mr. Luffy, you invited me to join the Straw Hat Pirates earlier, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you, I'm really happy, so very happy!"
That Luffy treated him sincerely without staring at him like some strange moving skeleton made Brook genuinely happy.
But precisely because of that, he couldn't drag them down.
Thinking this, Brook said seriously: "Mr. Luffy, I'm honored by your invitation, but... I must decline!"
"Huh?!"
"Why?"
Luffy was stunned. Hadn't Brook already agreed earlier? Why refuse now?
"As I mentioned before, my shadow has been stolen," Brook explained. "Even if I left with you, the sun would eventually kill me."
"So I plan to stay here, waiting for the day I encounter that man again to reclaim my shadow!"
At this point, Brook paused before continuing, "If by then I can still meet you all... and if you're willing to accept me, then I'll join—"
"What are you talking about?!" Luffy slammed the table and stood up, interrupting him. "Why so distant? Aren't we already comrades?!"
"You said someone stole your shadow, right? Tell me where he is—I'll help you take it back!!"
Seeing Luffy's dead-serious expression, Brook was stunned. He never expected the other to say such a thing. They'd only just met, yet Luffy was already willing to confront that terrifying minion for his sake...
In that moment, Brook felt the unique charisma radiating from Luffy.
"Mr. Luffy, you truly are a kind soul." Brook raised a hand to his chest. "If I still had a heart, it would surely be pounding fiercely right now."
"But... Mr. Luffy, I must beg your forgiveness—I can't tell you. I can't drag you all into this abyss."
Someone like him... he alone should bear this burden. Mr. Luffy and the others clearly deserve a brighter future. He couldn't selfishly demand their help.
"Is it because the minion is strong?" Meiser raised an eyebrow.
From the moment Luffy spoke those words, Meiser knew he wouldn't back down. The guy was stubborn as a mule—once he set his mind to something, there was no turning back. Given the chance, he'd absolutely choose to help Brook reclaim his shadow!
So they needed more information to strategize.
"No, I can't say."
"Not even his name?"
"Yohohoho, I know you mean well, but please don't risk yourselves for me." Brook said. "Besides, I don't even know where he is. Whether I'll encounter him again in this lifetime is uncertain."
"Tch..." Meiser sighed and glanced at Nico Robin beside him. "Another stubborn one."
The elegant woman merely smiled without comment. When had the Straw Hat Pirates ever lacked stubborn members?
"Yohohoho, let's not dwell on such matters." Brook chuckled. "Today's too joyous—let me sing you all a song."
"Eh? You can sing?"
"I'm a musician, quite skilled with instruments~"
"What?! You're a musician?!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "Then you HAVE to join us, damn it!!"
He'd wanted a musician in the crew for ages. Now that they'd finally met one, how could he let this chance slip away?
"Yohohoho, let's not get ahead of ourselves. First allow me to play—"
Before Brook could finish, his entire body froze, then began trembling violently as if witnessing something horrifying.
"What's wrong?"
"G-G-GHOSTS!!!"
Terrified stiff, Brook stared at the specters emerging from the walls—grinning spirits controlled by Perona, floating ominously as they observed the group below.
Now that their ship had been swallowed by Thriller Bark, there was no need to keep eavesdropping—it was time to come out and scare them directly!
This was one of her favorite things to do!
"Ahhh!!"
"A ghost!!"
"Wow... that's amazing!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.
"Is it the Ship Spirit?"
"That doesn't look like a Ship Spirit at all..." Meiser said warily, glancing upward. "But do ghosts really exist in this world?"
"Could it be another Devil Fruit Ability User?"
After hearing Brook's stories, Meiser felt that a Devil Fruit capable of summoning ghosts wasn't entirely impossible.
The ghost above them gave Meiser a strange look upon hearing his words, then silently drifted away without a word.
This reaction made Meiser pause for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "That was an oddly human-like gaze..."
Could it really be a Devil Fruit Ability User?
"Boom!"
As the ghost departed, the Thousand Sunny suddenly shook violently, causing an uproar.
"What... what's happening now?!"
"No idea—could it be an earthquake?"
"Idiot, we're in the middle of the ocean! How could there be an earthquake?!"
"Dammit, unless it's..."
Brook's expression changed, and he immediately rushed outside. When he saw their surroundings clearly, he froze in place.
The familiar sight instantly made Brook realize—he had returned to Gekko Moria's territory!