sniff… hic
"I just—sniff—can't believe you've been through so much," he choked out, voice raw with genuine emotion.
Brooke brushed a strand of bone-white hair aside, top hat tipped low. Luffy bounced over, slapping the skeleton's back. His grin was bright despite the gloom.
"Hehe—that's amazing! You knew Laboon? Now you've got another reason to join our crew, right?" Luffy's tone was warm and sincere.
Brooke nodded, eyes shining in their hollow sockets. For a long minute, he wove his tale: he was the last survivor of the Rumbar Pirates. Their vow—etched in laughter and song—was to reunite with their whale friend Laboon at Reverse Mountain's summit, the gateway to the Grand Line. Franky's tears fell again.
"When my shadow was stolen," Brooke continued quietly, "my crew was lost… but my soul endured. I never gave up hope—until I find my friend once again."
Franky sniffed, voice trembling with newfound respect: "That… that was beautiful. Thank you for sharing."
Lucas, stoic even in the damp night air, slipped a hand into his pocket. "Well, this is something unexpected," he observed, cloak swirling in the wind.
Luffy stamped his foot, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Team—march forward!" he called, pumping a fist.
But Brooke lifted a finger, voice firm. "Sorry, but there's someone I must face before I join you."
Lucas's brow rose. "Could this… be the very body your shadow was placed into?"
Brooke remained silent, shoulders squared. The others nodded solemnly.
Luffy grinned, clapping his hands. "Go get 'em! We'll handle Moria."
Lucas raised his hand, fingers glowing with mana as a complex magic circle spun into existence above his palm.
"Death Knights—purge the undead. But don't harm any humans."
The armored warriors bowed silently, then dissolved into tendrils of black mist, spiraling outward like smoke caught in a storm. They vanished into the island's depths, leaving behind a faint chill in the air.
Lucas blinked, then muttered, "Ah, damn. I forgot to give them salt."
Franky, already halfway in the mansion's hall, glanced back with a shrug. "Eh, they'll improvise. Dead guys are good at that."
They burst into a massive chamber, the air thick with decay and tension. Luffy's voice rang out, fierce and unyielding:
"MORIAAAAA!"
The room was a grotesque theater—pillars cracked, chandeliers swaying, with a few figures gathered. At the far end stood Gecko Moria, flanked by Absalom, Doctor Hogback, Cindry, Perona, and Kumashii.
Hogback squealed, clutching his clipboard. "What are you doing here?! You should be held up by our zombie generals!"
Moria turned slowly, his grin wide and cruel. "So... you're the Straw Hats. To think you'd walk into my lair willingly. How delightful."
Luffy stepped forward, fists clenched. "I've heard what you've done. I'm here to kick your butt and free every shadow you've stolen!"
Moria chuckled, voice dripping with arrogance. "You think you can beat me? Foolish boy."
Lucas raised an eyebrow at Luffy's golden armor. "You're seriously going to fight in that clunky thing? It won't even stretch with body."
Luffy pouted. "But it looks so cool!"
Lucas sighed, casting another spell. A glowing sigil wrapped around the armor, and it shimmered. "Fine. I made it stretchy. But that's all it can do though."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Awesome!"
Franky waved his arms. "Uh, guys? Evil villains? Right here?"
Lucas snapped back to focus. "Right. Nami, Usopp, Chopper—head back to the Sunny. Wake Zoro and Sanji. Ohh and tell Zoro to help out Brooke while you're at it. Tell him there's a zombie with a really good sword."
Franky blinked. "Wait, why are you—"
Suddenly, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper popped out from behind Kumashii's back, panting.
Franky jumped. "Whoa! When did you guys get here?!"
Chopper sobbed. "It was so scary!"
Lucas opened a shimmering portal. "Go. Now."
They sprinted through without hesitation.
Absalom snarled, turning invisible. "Where do you think you're taking my future wife?!"
A fist slammed into his face mid-vanish, sending him crashing to the floor.
Lucas cracked his neck. "Alright. Showtime."
The air shimmered as Lucas transformed, his body elongating and hardening into the majestic form of an Appoplexian. His flowed ever so slightly as a small random breeze passed through, his mane flared like molten gold.
"Let me tell you something, lion-mouthed guy that can turn invisible, I'm gonna kick your ass!"
Absalom vanished again, circling like a predator. Lucas standing still, eyes closed, the room silent except for the distant clash of other battles. Then, Lucas's ear twitched.
"Found you."
He spun, launching a sweeping kick that cracked the marble floor and sent Absalom flying out of invisibility.
"Phantom Breaker!"
Absalom recovered mid-air, trying to shoot Lucas with his hidden weapons, but Lucas was already above him, descending like a meteor.
"Lion's Descent!"
The impact shattered the floor, sending shockwaves through the chamber. Dust and debris swirled in slow motion as Lucas emerged from the crater, untouched.
Absalom staggered, panting, trying to vanish again—but Lucas's tail lashed out, wrapping around his ankle.
"You're not going anywhere."
He yanked Absalom into the air and spun him like a flail, slamming him into a pillar.
"Echo Fang Barrage!"
Each strike landed with explosive force, the camera alternating between wide-angle devastation and tight shots of Lucas's precise, fluid movements. Absalom's invisibility flickered erratically, his body unable to keep up.
Lucas stood tall, mane flowing, eyes blazing. "You may be tough. But I'm legendary."
Absalom collapsed, groaning, his body flickering back into full visibility.
Lucas turned toward the others, cracking his knuckles. "Next."
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