"Laboon…"
Brook froze in shock at Sora's words, staring at him in utter disbelief.
Even though Brook was just a skeleton, both Sora and Mikita could see how stunned he was from the way his skull tilted and trembled.
"You… you actually know about Laboon…"
"I almost popped my eyeballs from shock—yohohoho!—not that I have any eyeballs."
He snapped back to reality with a bad skeleton joke, then looked at Sora with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Mister, if you truly can take me to see Laboon again…"
"Then this skull of mine is yours."
Seeing Laboon and fulfilling his promise—those were the hopes that kept Brook going all these years in the despair-filled Florian Triangle.
If Sora could truly help him do that, Brook had no reason to refuse. After all, he was already a man long past death.
Joining his fallen comrades in the underworld… compared to this lonely existence, it might be a relief.
"I swear on it," Sora replied with a smile, pulling a seastone handcuff from the void and handing it to Brook.
Brook obediently put it on himself without protest.
From his perspective, if Sora knew about Laboon, then he had clearly done his homework. Besides, judging from the punch he'd just taken, even that beautiful girl was stronger than him. There was no point in resisting.
That was the law of the sea—strength ruled all.
Brook, a veteran pirate, knew this all too well.
"Bring him aboard," Sora ordered, tossing a Little Chili Bomb onto the decrepit ship before flying back toward the Divine Slave.
"You try anything funny, and I'll make you regret it."
Mikita, dragging Brook along, growled in warning.
"My lovely lady, I—"
THUD!
Brook didn't even get to finish his sentence before Mikita slammed a haki-charged fist into his skull, knocking him limp.
But as soon as they returned to the Divine Slave and Brook saw Reiju, Robin, and Hina on deck, he sprang back to life.
"Yohohoho! So many beautiful ladies! Lady Luck must be smiling on me today!"
Brook was dumped unceremoniously onto the deck, where he chuckled like a madman at the sight of the glamorous trio.
"It's really a moving skeleton," Hina muttered in amazement, giving Brook a poke with her foot.
This was the first time even she had seen something like this.
"He just ate a Devil Fruit," Sora explained as he sank back into his seat.
"Mikita, have Makino fix him something to eat. He hasn't had a proper meal in ages."
"Got it!" Mikita nodded and dashed inside.
"Yohohoho! Real food? Brook is most grateful!"
"But… I can't be exposed to sunlight. May I go below deck?"
He was thrilled about eating, but he hadn't forgotten—his shadow had been stolen.
In response, Sora snapped his fingers.
A rope lowered from the ship's rigging, hoisted Brook up, and carried him directly to the brig.
"What do you need him for?" Reiju asked as she shuffled and dealt the cards. They were playing a new game Sora had taught them called "Speed."
"He's got a very special Devil Fruit," Sora said, taking his hand. He frowned.
Terrible hand.
"He's a pirate, isn't he? Why not just kill him?" Hina asked as she laid down a pair of threes.
Sora had never shown mercy to evil pirates before, and Hina knew he could steal a Devil Fruit by killing its user.
"He's got a story. A touching one. I want to grant his wish before I send him off."
"A story?" Reiju, Robin, and Hina all looked at Sora.
"Remember that giant whale at Twin Cape—Laboon?"
Sora took a few minutes to explain the full story between Brook and Laboon.
Afterward, Robin was the first to speak.
"He really is… a man worth admiring."
Reiju and Hina nodded in quiet agreement, then resumed playing.
Sora looked at them oddly.
Weren't they supposed to be crying buckets by now?
Then it hit him.
Reiju still had emotions as a modified human, but unless it involved someone close to her, she was emotionally distant.
Robin had been hunted for two decades. Her heart was sharp, guarded. Sentimental tales wouldn't shake her.
And Hina was a Marine. Expecting sympathy for a pirate like Brook? Not happening.
"You three are heartless. That was a damn moving story and none of you cried."
He stared at his awful hand again and groaned, then tried to mess with them.
Time to go full trash talk and disrupt their focus.
"Go tell Nami, Nojiko, Vivi, or Kaya that story—they'd be sobbing their eyes out."
Robin didn't even look up. "Heh, probably."
Hina and Reiju laughed too.
"Boring."
Seeing his verbal jabs fail to faze them, Sora muttered in defeat.
"Hehehe…" The three exchanged glances and chuckled.
Sora asked, "How's the bait setup going?"
Reiju replied, "Nojiko's got it under control. She wouldn't let me help. Should be done soon."
"Let's hope Moria bites soon. I don't have time to waste in this place."
Robin asked, "Is there a Poneglyph on Thriller Bark?"
"No."
Hina: "He's a Warlord. Can't we deal with him after the Whitebeard operation?"
"He's a disgrace to the Seven Warlords. Useless now."
Hina: "Understood."
Not long after—
Whoosh—BOOM!
A piercing sound shot up from the stern of the Divine Slave. Sora turned and saw a red flare rocket into the sky and explode brilliantly a hundred meters up.
Hours later…
A colossal ship moved rapidly toward the Divine Slave, surrounding it like a fortress.
It was none other than Gecko Moria's infamous Thriller Bark.
As the enormous ship's "jaws" closed around the Divine Slave, locking them into its inner bay, Sora's lips curved into a smirk.
This ship… I'll be taking it.
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