บท 173: Chapter 173
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"Ahhhhh!"
The holy light descended, and a sharp scream echoed from the exaggerated jawbone of the skull head.
Seeing this, the many pirates became even more terrified, huddling together tightly. It was hard to believe that these cowards had dared to attack a sea restaurant that had withstood the might of an admiral...
"Hahaha, what a delightful scream of pain," Aqua said, retracting her goddess staff with a smug look, basking in this long-lost joy.
"See that, Zyhark? This is the true power and purpose of the Water Goddess!"
"...Although it is indeed a scream, Aqua, are you sure that emotion is pain?" Zyhark poured cold water on Aqua's pride.
"Isn't it? That's my invincible purification, after all," Aqua said, then noticed something was off. Her blue eyes blinked in confusion as she looked at the skull head by the decrepit sailboat.
The scream had stopped, and the skull pressed a bony hand on its small hat, sighing heavily: "What a bright light. It's been so long since I've seen such brightness, it almost blinded my eyes!"
"Although I'm just a skeleton and don't actually have eyes, yohohoho~"
The brief cold joke rendered the terrified pirates on the other ship speechless. Everyone silently let go of each other, staring with wide eyes.
For some reason, once this thing spoke, it suddenly didn't seem so scary anymore. Even Meowth and King, who had seen many strange things, showed rather odd expressions.
"He's unharmed? It seems he's a higher-ranking undead monster," Aqua said, admiringly looking at Brook and preparing another spell.
Just as she was about to launch a bigger attack, the skeleton in the black suit looked around frantically, as if frightened: "An undead monster? A high-ranking one? Where? Where? I'm most afraid of such creepy monsters!"
Aqua, in mid-spell: "..."
"You're the creepy monster, meow!!!" Even the usually composed Meowth couldn't stay calm, angrily shouting at Brook with teeth bared like saw blades.
"Me? How could that be? I'm a proper human! Although I am just bones," Brook said, staring at Meowth with empty eye sockets. After two seconds of silence, he recoiled in shock: "Wait! A talking cat!"
"Why are you acting scared? A talking skeleton is much scarier, meow!" Meowth's fur stood on end, not from fear but from anger at being called a cat.
However, he did have a point. While there were plenty of skeletal Pokémon in his world, none were as talkative or annoying as this one!
"I see. I apologize for not explaining earlier," Brook said, elegantly removing his hat and bowing. "My name is Brook, and I'm a Devil Fruit user who ate the Revive-Revive Fruit. Due to certain reasons, when my soul returned to my dead body, I ended up like this. There's no need to be afraid."
Having encountered many strange Devil Fruit abilities, King and Meowth quickly understood. Kanna, who was still unfamiliar with the pirate world, curiously observed Brook with wide eyes.
"No wonder my invincible purification magic didn't work. So, you are still human," Aqua said, nodding knowingly. For her, matters of the soul and resurrection were commonplace.
Recalling Brook's earlier words, Aqua's eyes narrowed mischievously: "You mentioned reasons. Could it be that your soul got lost on the way back to your body?"
"It wasn't getting lost! I was delayed by something," Brook replied, sounding less confident.
As an old soul, being called out on his embarrassing past by a young girl was quite humiliating, even though he had no face to show.
"Pfft, so you were lost! How can there be such a dumb person who can't even find their own body, hahaha!" Aqua laughed, holding her belly and pointing at Brook.
Zyhark quietly observed, marveling at Aqua's thick skin.
"That tattered flag... If I'm not mistaken, it belonged to the Rumbar Pirates who were active decades ago. Were you one of them?" Zyhark pointed to the dilapidated pirate flag on the ghost ship, choosing a suitable topic.
"To think someone still remembers us after all these years," Brook said, wiping his face with a bony hand. "It's enough to make me cry, although I have no eyes to shed tears. Yohohoho~"
His laugh echoed through the empty, dilapidated ship, tinged with deep bitterness and loneliness. Morning and night, all his comrades were gone, leaving him to drift alone in the dark sea for decades.
If not for an unfulfilled promise, it's hard to imagine how he managed to hold on.
"Wait, Rumbar Pirates! Aren't they the crew that the old man in the beach shorts mentioned when we just entered the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain, meow?" Meowth pondered aloud.
"Right! The big whale, Laboon!" Aqua suddenly remembered.
"Laboon? Have you seen Laboon?!" Brook exclaimed, jumping over to the deck of the Endless Dream.
The pirates trailing behind were startled by the sudden move, retreating to the furthest corners in fear.
"If you're referring to the large whale waiting at Twin Cape, then yes," Zyhark said, turning to the excited Brook.
Underfoot, a shadow was clearly visible. So, at this point, he hadn't lost his shadow to Moria.
"That's it! That's definitely Laboon! I can't believe it's still waiting at Twin Cape after all these years."
Tears flowed from Brook's eyes. So why can a skeleton cry?
Zyhark, familiar with Brook, was particularly puzzled.
"Not only that, it often bashes its head against the Red Line, trying to find you all despite being covered in scars," King added, his voice heavy with the memory of the deep scars on Laboon's head.
"Using its head to bash the Red Line... That idiot, it's impossible to break through!" Brook was frantic, stepping off the deck. "I have to go to its side now!"
For years, he had wanted to find Laboon but couldn't leave the foggy Devil's Triangle with his decrepit ship and no sense of direction.
Now, knowing Laboon's situation, he couldn't wait any longer. He had to leave this sea, even if it meant dying in the attempt.
Zyhark was about to stop him, but Aqua, who usually despised undead creatures, intervened first: "Wait!"
Brook turned back, surprised.
"Although I usually detest undead creatures, you're not so bad. So, I'll be merciful and tell you that the dumb whale has stopped hurting itself thanks to my teachings," Aqua said, quickly returning to her smug self.
Zyhark felt a headache coming on, imagining Brook's reaction to Laboon's current state. He'd probably be even more anxious...
"Thank you so much. I imagine it caused you a lot of trouble?" Brook said, calmer now.
"There's no need to thank me. It was its choice, a very correct one. But if you really want to express your gratitude, I won't refuse," Aqua said, sensing Brook's gaze from his empty eye sockets.
"Then, may I see your panties, beautiful young lady?" Brook asked after much hesitation.
Silence fell. It had come to this after all...
Zyhark sighed, rubbing his forehead.
Brook, with his sense of duty, experience, and strength, was still a pervert. An old pervert who could ask even Big Mom about her panties was never going to be entirely respectable.
Aqua, waiting for thanks: "?!!"
The atmosphere grew tense until Kanna stepped forward, pointing at Brook: "Hentai!"
Whoosh.
The next second, a brilliant flame lit up the dark sea. Brook, eyes wide with anticipation, was blessed with Aqua's divine punch.
...
Despite everything, Brook was allowed to board the Endless Dream with Zyhark's permission. Aside from the angry Aqua, Meowth, King, and Kanna also accepted Brook, respecting his commitment to his promise.
After a brief introduction, they quickly became acquainted.
"Yohohoho, so you're looking for the Warlord of the Sea who emerged after the Great Pirate Era? It's surprising that the once famous rookie, Roger, became the Pirate King," Brook said, downing a glass of milk to repair the bones shattered by Aqua's punch.
The cracks in his bones healed at a visible rate as the milk worked its magic. Truly, milk and cola were the most miraculous drinks in the pirate world!
Even the electrically resistant Meowth was amazed, while Kanna tugged at Zyhark's pants, wanting to try the magical milk.
Zyhark didn't refuse, finding a fresh carton of milk for Kanna.
"Try this, Kanna. It's much fresher than Brook's almost expired milk."
Brook, just setting down his empty glass: "Though it's abrupt, Zyhark, I'm still here."
"Hahaha! Too bad, perverted skeleton. Zyhark is a sly and dark-hearted guy," Aqua mocked.
Having experienced Zyhark's overnight beef noodles, Meowth and King nodded in agreement.
"Let's consider that a compliment, Aqua," Zyhark said, unfazed.
Brook scratched his afro, glancing between the serious partners and their less serious captain. He realized he might have boarded a pirate ship, not a sea restaurant.
As the friendly atmosphere continued aboard the Endless Dream, sailing deeper into the dark sea, at the center of Thriller Bark's castle, in the underground freezer...
"Heeheehee, with this 56 million Berry supernova's shadow, plus the giant known as the Devil, I won't lose to Kaido!" said the onion-headed Moria, laughing sharply as he stood before the cold storage door.
Pausing briefly, Moria lifted his arm, forcefully shoving the struggling shadow of the supernova, Electro Kid, into the giant Oz's body.
"Here, 56 million is just another figure. What really matters is how confident Moria is in defeating Kaido with just that shadow," Zyhark mused.
(End of Chapter)
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