A bolt of lightning split the sky as the Thousand Sunny sliced through the restless waves. Below decks, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper huddled near the galley door, eyes wide, hearts pounding. On the main deck, Luffy and Franky clambered to secure loose lines, oblivious to the chaos inside.
"Wh-what the hell is going on?!" Nami screamed, voice echoing off the curved wooden walls.
"Why's there a skeleton here?!" Usopp wailed, stumbling backward into a set of spice jars that rattled like wind chimes.
Chopper's fur bristled as he clutched his medical satchel. "Something's not right… Luffy, explain yourself!"
At the center of the galley doorway stood a tall, lanky skeleton in a tattered suit and top hat—Brook—who tipped his hat with a flourish and bowed low, knucklebones clacking softly. In a voice like a rattling cage, he crooned, "Hello, fair young ladies. Might I be so bold as to… see your panties? Yohohohoho!"
Nami's face paled, then bled into fury. She lunged forward and hurled her heavy leather boot. Thwack! The boot flew across the galley and struck Brook squarely in the jawbone. He staggered back, laughing through the pain. "My, my—you're quick on the draw!"
Lucas strolled in behind the melee, hands tucked into his coat. He grinned as the boot ricocheted off Brook's skull. "Look, everyone—another Sanji joining us!"
At the instigation, Sanji marched in, fists clenched. "Is that a dig at me, skeletal freak?!" he hissed, shoulders burning.
Zoro emerged from the pantry, yawning as he sheathed one of his swords. "What the hell were you three doing?" he drawled. "The whole point of tagging along with Luffy was to keep him from running off on a death wish."
Franky rose from behind a stack of pans, adjusting his goggles. "I don't see the problem with inviting a skeleton aboard! He seems harmless—a gentleman!" His mechanical arms whirred as he crossed them confidently.
Usopp peeked from behind a spice rack. "Franky, you should not be left alone with Luffy ever again…"
Nami slapped the back of Usopp's head. "I want to go inside. It's freezing, and I'm done with this nonsense!"
Luffy bounded up behind them, coat flapping in the wind. "Yeah—let's have dinner!" His voice was cheerful. "Who's hungry?"
The trio inside the galley shouted in unison: "Don't you decide that on your own!"
They scrambled past Brook, Usopp still clutching his dummy head, and made for the long dining table. Brook, bone cane in one hand, twirled his hat with the other. "Oh, what a delightful galley and dining room! A true masterpiece of shipwright Franky's fine craftsmanship. Yohohohoho!"
Franky beamed. "Super Franky made it with love and steel! Nice eye, Brook."
From behind a stack of bowls, Usopp muttered under his breath, "Does he even have eyes?"
Brook's grin turned wistful. "It's been ages since I savored a proper meal. In my days alive, I never knew such luxury. Now, every bite is a miracle." He cleared his throat dramatically. "But, as a gentleman, I shall wait… patiently."
Moments later, his stomach rumbled so loudly it drowned out the creak of the ship. "Dinner! Di—nn—er!" he bellowed, voice bouncing off the rafters. Luffy leapt from his seat. "Dinner time!"
"Clam it," Sanji growled, sliding platters of steaming food onto the table. "Enjoy your meal like a civilized person, will ya?"
Luffy pointed at Brook. "By the way—Koropokuru?"
Brook froze, top hat in hand. "My name is… Brook, silly. But I don't recall your names, either."
"I'm Luffy!" Luffy chirped, handing an arm to each of his crewmates. "This is my crew!"
All the Straw Hats chorused at once, "Introduce us properly if you're gonna—do it right!"
Zoro rested both hands on the hilt of his sword. "Seriously, why join us when you barely know who we are?"
Sanji laid a roasted leg before Brook and snapped his fingers. "We'll postpone existential questions—time to eat!"
Before Sanji could even set out the last bowl of curry, Luffy had already snatched it up. "Nom nom nom—hey Brook, you better eat lots of Sanji's food! It's the best!"
Brook's skull bowed low as he accepted his plate. A single bone teared up. "I can't believe—my first proper meal in… years. I shall savor each morsel!" He glanced at Robin across the table. "Dear lady, your meat seems to be larger than mine—perhaps we might… swap?"
Sanji stabbed a wad of stew. "You can have extra if you like. Now eat."
The group dove in until plates were drained. Afterwards, Usopp surveyed Brook's empty plate in astonishment. "For a skeleton, you sure eat a lot. Where does it even go?"
Luffy piped up between joyful burps. "Hey Brook—can you poop?"
Sanji nearly choked on his carrot. "Must you ask that in public?!"
Brook sipped water with delicate bones. "Indeed, I do—but the process is… quite different. I merely wish to keep things… anatomical."
Sanji sprang from the table, arms flailing. "You did not have to answer that!"
Robin cleared her throat, smiling gently. "Brook, how did you become like this?"
Brook's voice softened, eyes distant. "Ah, well… I once ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi, a Devil Fruit that allows the soul to return from death. My days as a living man—ah—were cut short when my crew and I met ill fate in the Devil's Sea. Though I perished, my soul found its way back… only to discover my body lost to the deep. Time passed before I reclaimed this skeleton shell. The power I gained includes an eternal life… and the curse of no reflection, no shadow… but more on that later."
He paused, gaze drifting to the stained-glass window. "Yet there was one problem… no matter how fierce the fight, death claimed me once."
A sudden crack echoed through the wooden walls as a pale figure drifted in—translucent, dripping seaweed, mournful eyes set in a sunken skull. It floated between them, silent as a tide of cold.
Chopper screeched, toppling a medicine tray. "A ghost!"
Usopp shrieked, vaulting onto a chair. "I knew it! I knew it!!"
Nami yanked her weathered staff from beneath the table. "Stay back!"
"Wh-what is that?!" Franky stuttered, raising his arms to protect the ship's hull. The maw's walls pulsed like fleshy ribs.
"The gateway to the spooky island… our next adventure awaits!" Brook declared, striding forward.
Before Nami or Usopp could protest, Brook vanished into the darkness, phantom and skeleton moving as one toward the island that had risen from the fog.
Nami's voice cracked. "Brook, wait!"
Usopp's knees buckled. "He can't just storm off like that!"
Chopper wiped tears from his eyes. "We… have to go after him."
Luffy squared his shoulders. "All right. Let's go save our new friend."
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