The surroundings were dim and silent as an old pirate ship cut through the mist and appeared before everyone, slowly brushing past the Gale.
Its sails were in tatters, the hull clearly marred by corrosion and cracks. The entire ship was steeped in the marks of time.
A rotten, damp stench mixed with eerie humming drifted over in waves, reminding everyone of exactly what this was—
The legendary ghost ship!
"Yohohohohoho!"
The spine-chilling melody still echoed as everyone on deck stood frozen, mouths agape, unable to make a sound.
Their preconceived notions of these waters, combined with countless terrifying rumors, left them almost unable to react to this sudden scene.
The first to crack under the oppressive atmosphere was Vivi. Her face went pale, eyes filled with terror, even her hair standing on end.
She clutched her ears and screamed in panic, "What is this song?! Ah!!!"
"It's the ship song of evil spirits! Don't listen! Cover your ears, or you'll be cursed!"
Like a chain reaction, Carmen's trembling voice followed immediately after Vivi's cry.
"If evil spirits talk to you, don't answer! Or they'll drag you into the sea!"
"Ah!!!"
Even clinging to Leno's leg, Chopper couldn't ease the fear in his heart. He screamed in breakdown, as if doing so could give him a little more courage.
Even the usually calm Robin was sweating now. She looked up at the opposing ship, her eyes filled with gravity.
"Who is up there?"
"…"
No one could answer her.
Kuina, Nojiko, and the others snapped out of it as well, gripping their weapons tightly and preparing for battle.
Even Yamato, who had been shouting nonstop, now stood with her mouth slightly open, face full of shock.
So ghost ships really do exist!
Amid the terrifying atmosphere, as the decrepit pirate ship drifted closer, they finally noticed a figure by the railing.
A skeleton with an afro hairstyle, holding a cup of hot tea, was calmly 'staring' at everyone on their ship.
"…"
As its pale teeth opened and closed, lines of song drifted out.
Faced with such an unbelievable sight, the already shaken girls froze completely, their expressions of fear and astonishment locking in place.
A singing skeleton—who would believe that?!
Not only the girls, even the two old men, Rayleigh and Crocus, were staring in utter disbelief.
Truly a sight for sore eyes!
They thought they had seen all manner of bizarre things during their years at sea, but today—a living skeleton?!
At this moment, Yamato seemed to finally react. She immediately turned back to the others, eyes bright with excitement.
"Everyone saw it, right? There really is a living skeleton—and it can even sing~!"
"Idiot! How could a skeleton sing? It's just auditory hallucinations, all hallucinations!"
The moment Nami saw Yamato like this, she knew exactly what she was about to do. She shuddered and hurriedly denied it, trying to stop whatever Yamato had in mind.
"How could it be? You all heard—"
"Alright, enough arguing."
Seeing that the timing was right, Leno finally spoke up to stop them. He looked at the skeleton across from them and called out:
"Brook, come over and talk. We came here specifically to find you!"
"?!!!"
Before the skeleton could react, Rayleigh and Crocus suddenly whipped their heads toward Leno, eyes filled with shock.
That skeleton was the person they were looking for?
This, this, this—
The two exchanged glances, both feeling as if reality had turned surreal.
As he spoke, Leno also secured the Gale alongside the old pirate ship.
On the other side, the skeleton Brook froze mid-sip of his tea, the two dark hollows in his skull mechanically turning toward Leno.
Sounding rather surprised, he asked, "You know me, sir?"
After a brief pause, he added to express his confusion:
"You look so young. You shouldn't know me at all."
He said that, yet his body was very honest. With a light leap, he effortlessly landed on the deck of the Gale.
That jump was enough to set off Kuina, Nojiko, and the others, who were already on edge. With a sharp clang, their weapons were drawn as they rushed forward, surrounding the unexpected skeleton.
Brook, however, showed not the slightest hint of panic. He straightened his bow tie and even took the time to polish his shoes.
Then he gave a gentlemanly bow and began introducing himself:
"My apologies for the rudeness earlier. I didn't greet everyone properly~"
"What's with this guy?"
Seeing how familiar he acted the moment he came aboard, everyone's mouths twitched. Nami quickly walked over to Leno and asked in a low voice:
"Big idiot, is he really the person Uncle Rayleigh and the others were looking for? A skeleton?"
Before Leno could answer, Brook's excited voice rang out again:
"That really gave me quite a fright. I never imagined I'd meet living people again. How many years has it been~"
"Out here, it's nothing but ghost ships and more ghost ships. It's absolutely terrifying!"
Hey!!!
Even being overly familiar has its limits, you bastard!
You really treat this like your own home—your hosts haven't even said anything yet, and you're already being this shameless.
"Look, he's talking! The afro skeleton is talking!"
Yamato, finally snapping out of it, looked as if she had discovered a whole new world, her eyes shining as she stared at Brook.
A living skeleton that could sing and communicate normally—so cool!
Just as Brook was heading toward the cabin, he suddenly stopped when he heard Yamato.
He turned around, scanned the group, and then exclaimed:
"I am simply enchanted by beautiful women, even though I am a skeleton and have no eyes! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"
"Then may I ask if I could please see—"
Before Brook could finish, a bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky, instantly electrocuting the bones until smoke rose from his body.
Lowering his finger, Leno looked speechlessly at the now-smoking, truly afro-haired Brook.
Trying to peek at my women's underwear right in front of me? If I didn't know you had no ill intent, just for that one line, I'd have dismantled every bone in your body.
"Brook, watch what you say. They're all my women."
"I-I see… You're really, truly enviable, sir!"
Brook lay twitching on the deck, broken sentences spilling from his mouth.
Looking at the miserable skeleton on the ground, Kuina, Nojiko, and the others exchanged glances, all feeling utterly drained.
What kind of weirdo is this guy, exactly?