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"I'm a user of the Revive-Revive Fruit. Our Rumbar Pirates were annihilated after encountering a powerful enemy. I, who had already died, was brought back when this Devil Fruit—which had shown no effect before—finally activated. My soul returned from the afterlife, but unfortunately, in this Florian Triangle, finding one's ship isn't easy. By the time I found my body... it was just a pile of bones."
Brook's voice was filled with a deep, lingering sadness as he recounted his tale.
Hearing news of Laboon had made him incredibly emotional. Trusting Rowen and the Straw Hats completely, Brook had shared everything he had endured.
For so many years, Brook had been utterly alone. But now, even without seeing Laboon yet, Brook felt a warmth in his heart, a feeling of no longer being alone. 'Ah... though I have no heart, only a pile of bones.'
Hearing Brook's story, everyone's perception of him changed. So that's how he ended up in this state...
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"The power of the Revive-Revive Fruit..." Rowen mused, feeling the newly equipped ability, a smile playing on his lips.
VMM!
A strange ripple emanated from Rowen.
"Eh??" Brook felt a familiar sensation, a tremor that resonated deep within his own soul. His skeletal eye sockets widened in shock.
"Th-The Revive-Revive Fruit? But WHY?" Brook subconsciously checked himself—his own Revive-Revive Fruit ability was still present.
Yet the aura radiating from the man before him was unmistakably the very same power that had resurrected him!
"Rowen is the World's Strongest Devil Fruit user. He can possess unlimited Devil Fruit abilities!" Vivi declared, tilting her chin up proudly.
"Basically, Rowen has various ways of obtaining other people's Devil Fruit abilities,"
Sanji added, seeing Brook was still confused, and casually showed him Rowen's wanted poster.
Towards Brook, who had a connection with Laboon, Sanji and the others felt a natural affinity.
"Yohohoho! A wanted poster! How nostalgic!" Brook took the familiar poster and looked at it.
A single glance—and he was utterly stunned.
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"The World's Strongest, Most Vicious Devil Fruit User!"
"The Man Who Can Steal Everything From Others. The World's Most Dangerous Man!"
"Engaging Him Is Forbidden Without Express Orders From The World Government's Highest Authority!"
"The Fifth Emperor, Sky Sovereign Rowen!"
"Bounty: 3,988,900,000 Beri?????"
Brook shrieked, his very soul nearly jumping out of his bones from shock. His own bounty was a mere 33 million Beri—not even a fraction of this man's!
Though his bounty was from fifty years ago; current bounties were generally much higher due to inflation.
But nearly 4 BILLION BERI?? Brook hadn't just never seen such a number—he'd never even HEARD of one!
And look at the description—
The World's Strongest Devil Fruit User... The World's Most Dangerous Man... The Fifth Emperor... Even the World Government itself was forbidden from engaging him without permission from the highest authority.
Though in Brook's era, the Four Emperors didn't exist yet, just the title and these descriptions, combined with that scary bounty, proved what a colossal figure this man was!
'Laboon... knows this great man?'
"That's right! Rowen is a true SUPER great pirate!" Usopp puffed out his chest, laughing boastfully.
"And just so you know, I am hailed across the seas as the reliable right-hand man of the Fifth Emperor. Usopp the Brave! The man with a 200 million Beri bounty!"
Usopp declared, pointing to his long nose, sweating slightly from his own bravado. Claiming a 200 million bounty was still a bit nerve-wracking for the naturally timid Usopp.
"S-SUGEEEEE!"
Brook's exaggerated reaction, however, instantly filled Usopp with immense satisfaction. 'So this is what it feels like to be a great pirate! Just the bounty alone can shock people so much—'
"Oi! Don't get carried away! You're the one with the lowest bounty here," Sanji commented, gently tapping Usopp on the head with his foot.
"S-Sorry," Usopp immediately apologized meekly.
"B-Lowest?? 200 million Beri is the lowest?!" Brook was stunned again.
'What kind of pirate crew did I just run into? A 200 million Beri man is the lowest here?'
But then, looking at the man with the nearly 4 billion bounty, Brook felt it was perfectly reasonable.
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"By the way, we also have a promise with Laboon," Nami interjected.
"Rowen knew you were still alive because of his natural connection to Devil Fruits. When we told Laboon, he was overjoyed. We promised Laboon we would find you and bring you back to him."
Nami herself marveled at how things worked out. As always, whatever Rowen said would happen, happened. They really had found Brook of the Rumbar Pirates.
"Laboon... is still waiting for me... He knows I'm alive!" Brook was overcome with emotion. He didn't doubt Nami's words for a second—Mr. Rowen being able to use his Revive-Revive Fruit power was the best proof!
"Thank you... thank you all so much," Brook murmured, his eye sockets moist.
The Revive-Revive Fruit allowed even a skeleton like Brook to experience digestion, absorption, and even shed tears.
At this moment, Brook's gratitude towards Rowen and the Straw Hats was beyond words. If not for them, who knew what might have happened to Laboon.
"Shishishi! Then allow me to re-introduce myself! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who will be King of the Pirates! Bounty: 1,035,000,000 Beri!" Luffy grinned.
"ONE BILLION??" Though shocked multiple times already, Brook's eyes still widened at the terrifying number.
"Anyway, be our comrade! You want to see Laboon again, right?! Fulfill that promise—to circle the Grand Line and meet him again! We also made a promise to Laboon! To circle the world and bring you back to him!" Luffy declared with a wide grin.
A MUSICIAN!
This was one of Luffy's greatest dream since setting sail.
And now a skeleton musician—And it was Brook—the one Laboon was waiting for. There could be no musician more perfect for their crew!
Because of the connection to Laboon, everyone else quickly accepted Brook, smiling warmly at him.
"I-I'd love to go... but I can't leave this place right now," Brook's skeletal shoulders slumped, his earlier joy replaced by dejection.
"What's wrong??" Sanji frowned. This was the second time Brook had said this. Sanji's Observation Haki, now quite decent, could sense Brook's emotions.
Previously, when Brook agreed to join, it wasn't entirely serious; he was lonely and just wanted to travel with a new crew for a while, intending to stay behind after they left the Florian Triangle.
But now, because of Laboon, Brook genuinely wanted to go with them. His current words were filled with real disappointment and despair.
"Everyone... look at my feet," Brook said, pointing down.
"Huh?!" Everyone except Rowen looked, their eyes widening in shock.
"NO SHADOW?" Chopper and Usopp shrieked, clinging to each other.
"That's right. My shadow was stolen. If I'm exposed to sunlight, I'll vanish. I was defeated by a very strong enemy... I didn't even see his face... just his zombies..." Brook murmured, his voice filled with frustration.
He desperately wanted to see Laboon, to fulfill that 50-year-old promise—not just for himself, but for all his fallen comrades of the Rumbar Pirates.
Having experienced death and resurrection via the Revive-Revive Fruit, Brook truly believed in the existence of souls and the afterlife, believing his friends were watching him from above.
Brook felt his skeletal body fill with unprecedented strength—the desire to carry his friends' will, to complete their journey and meet Laboon again.
But alas... without his shadow, he could only survive in this perpetually misty Florian Triangle.
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"The Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Its user is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Gecko Moria," Rowen stated calmly.
A Warlord of Moria's level—was now true fodder before Rowen. However, Moria's subordinate possessed the Clear-Clear Fruit, a rather interesting ability worth acquiring.
After all, the Clear-Clear Fruit was a man's romance. Plus, plundering Moria's Warlord 'Fortune' would also yield some benefits.
"A Warlord?" Hearing this, the crew showed little reaction.
"Leave that Warlord to me!" Luffy grinned.
"Oi, Luffy! We want a piece of that Warlord's head too!" Sanji and Zoro also cracked their knuckles.
A Warlord's head was still quite valuable on these seas—and Rowen had declared in Mock Town that he would dismantle the Warlord system—this Warlord showing up on their doorstep was a perfect gift for Rowen!
Having received so much help from Rowen, they certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to present him with a tribute.
"Th-That man is very strong," Brook cautioned.
"Relax and leave it to them. Don't let their idiotic looks fool you; they're pirates with bounties of 600 million and 550 million. Marine HQ Vice Admirals are no match for them," Nami explained with a smile, pointing at Zoro and Sanji.
"Vice Admirals?" Brook stared, dumbfounded. He had been shocked by the bounty figures but had no clear concept of their combat strength.
The Rumbar Pirates hadn't even completed the first half of the Grand Line; their knowledge was limited.
But Marine HQ Vice Admirals—Brook had heard of them!
A Marine of that level—their Rumbar Pirates wouldn't even have been qualified to meet. Yet Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji could defeat them??
"As for Rowen, he's the man who has defeated two Marine HQ Admirals!" Nami added, puffing her chest out proudly.
"ADMIRALS?!" Brook's soul almost flew out of his skeleton.
In any era, Marine HQ Admirals were the Highest combat power of the World Government and the Navy!
Those super-powerhouses—defeated by Mr. Rowen??
TWO of them??
No wonder Mr. Rowen had a huge bounty!
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"I'm the captain! The Warlord's head is mine!" Luffy declared, hands on his hips.
WHAM!
He was instantly kicked away by Zoro and Sanji.
"Don't get ahead of yourself! Trying to pull rank on us? Have you forgotten how much trouble you've caused?" Zoro and Sanji roared, transforming into their sharp-toothed angry states.
Though Rowen was around, Luffy's recklessness still caused plenty of trouble on their voyage, with Zoro and Sanji often being the biggest victims.
For example, Zoro would often be woken up by Luffy's haphazard rubber abilities crashing into him...
Sanji's ingredients were frequently stolen by Luffy...
"S-Sorry," Luffy, as in the original story, immediately backed down.
"Anyway, the Warlord's head is first come, first served!" Zoro and Sanji rolled up their sleeves.
"Um, Rowen... we still need you to find the Warlord's location," Zoro and Sanji then looked sheepishly towards Rowen.
"No rush. First, let me see the true power of this Revive-Revive Fruit,"
Rowen stated, the aura of the Revive-Revive Fruit within him growing stronger, a netherworldly, ghostly light flickering in his eyes.
"True power?!" The crew swallowed hard. Brook was also stunned.
'Mr. Rowen... hasn't even died yet... How can he use the Revive-Revive Fruit's power? Before he died, the fruit did absolutely nothing for him!'
Rowen felt the power of the Revive-Revive Fruit, the netherworldly light in his eyes intensifying.
Just as Brook thought, the Revive-Revive Fruit was very special. Initially, it did nothing. Only upon the user's death did its ability activate, resurrecting them once.
But even after resurrection, the user's very essence changed. The true body of a revived Revive-Revive Fruit user was their soul, not their flesh.
Though Brook, thanks to the fruit, could cry and digest food, his true form was his soul. He couldn't learn Armament Haki because his physical body was dead—his movements were powered by his soul energy.
Two years later, Brook's enhancements all stemmed from infusing his attacks with his soul energy—a resurrected Revive-Revive user was essentially a soul that could walk the mortal world.
But Rowen's Revive-Revive Fruit power was equipped directly from Brook. An already activated Revive-Revive Fruit—appearing in a living person for the first time! This had never happened before on these seas!
At this moment, Rowen could be called—a Man of the Underworld!
The 'Desire' within the Revive-Revive Fruit was also unique; only someone who had truly experienced death and resurrection could comprehend the underworld.
This was why its power only activated after death. No matter how much one imagined it, one could never truly understand death without experiencing it.
Rowen had equipped Brook's very essence of having experienced death and resurrection—that 'Underworld Essence'—synchronously!
Feeling that profound essence of death and rebirth within him, Rowen smiled.
——
—[Awakening conditions met!]—
—[Revive-Revive Fruit—AWAKENED!]—
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