Hearing Brook's serious introduction, sniper Silva and fish-man Tom were montarily stunned.
"Captain Brook, how could I possibly be the world's greatest shipwright? Don't joke around with !"
Tom quickly waved his hands, his voice humble yet carrying a hint of earnestness as he laughed heartily.
"Trust , Tom. You're going to be the greatest shipwright in the world one day!"
Brook chuckled, thinking about the Pluton blueprints. If only there had been an ancient language expert to translate them, he might have already started researching Pluton. Still, even without translation, the ship designs would undoubtedly be invaluable to a master shipwright like Tom.
In the future, even Franky had studied those blueprints. Before Nico Robin ever got a chance to read them, Franky had taken the initiative to burn them. Yet in the end, he still managed to build the Thousand Sunny—an exceptional ship with extraordinary capabilities.
Clearly, even without understanding ancient texts, skilled shipwrights could gain imnse insight and inspiration from the Pluton blueprints.
"..."
"Heh~ Captain, with so many 'world's greatest' on this ship, what kind of 'world's greatest' am I?"
Shakky smirked, exhaling a delicate puff of smoke as she elegantly lit a lady's cigarette. Wisps of smoke curled in the air as she eyed Brook, who was clearly just throwing around grand titles.
"Antonio is the world's greatest intelligence broker. As for you, Shakky..." Brook grinned. "You're definitely going to be the world's greatest swindling businesswoman, hahaha!"
Shakky's smile stiffened, and her expression darkened as she glared at him. anwhile, the other three couldn't help but smile. Maybe... just maybe... they should strive for a world's greatest title of their own.
"..."
"Oi, Brook! How about joining us for a banquet?!"
A hearty voice suddenly rang out—it was none other than Gol D. Roger.
Silva's expression imdiately shifted upon hearing him. After all, he had just lost a gunfight against Peterm this afternoon, and now they were supposed to have a feast together in the evening?
"Relax, Silva," Brook reassured him. "One loss doesn't an anything. Besides, isn't the Roger Pirates the perfect rival for us? There'll be plenty of chances to compete again—you can win next ti."
Noticing how his new crewmate was affected, Brook made sure to look out for his feelings.
At the sa ti, Roger, ever the carefree man he was, leaped straight onto Brook's ship. He had co to personally extend an invitation to their banquet.
Spotting Silva among Brook's crew, Roger chuckled awkwardly. He hadn't expected Brook to recruit him so quickly.
"Silva! Take failure head-on and push forward! No one reaches the top without tasting defeat first!"
Brook added his encouragent as well, hoping to pull his sniper out of his slump.
"Captain Brook, I understand now! You don't need to worry about —I swear I'll defeat Peterm head-on! And after that, I'll defeat even stronger opponents!"
The 18-year-old prodigy sniper had finally stepped out of his frustration and self-doubt. Now, his eyes burned with determination.
"Hahaha! Good, good! Now that you've got a warrior's spirit, why don't you join the Roger Pirates instead?"
Roger, who had a personality not unlike Luffy's, brazenly extended an invitation right on soone else's ship. If it had been any other pirate crew, a fight would have broken out imdiately. Luckily, Brook was familiar with Roger's personality and didn't take offense—but Silva still let out an annoyed huff and rolled his eyes at him.
"Haha, forget that! Let's just have the banquet already! I've heard that Brook is a phenonal musician—any chance we'll get to hear so of your music at the feast?"
Roger, completely unfazed by the reaction, acted as if nothing had happened.
Brook was montarily taken aback. Ever since coming to this world, he had never once played music or sung. And yet, the mories of his musical skills were still deeply embedded in his soul.
With Roger's enthusiastic invitation, Brook and his crew stepped onto the Roger Pirates' ship. It was an ordinary pirate vessel—nothing particularly remarkable. In fact, it wasn't even as well-built as the Yellow Springs.
They probably wouldn't replace it until much later, when they reached Water 7. As for the Oro Jackson, the legendary ship made from Treasure Tree Adam, who knew how many more years it would take before it was built?
"Brook, are you also following the elite path? As they say, great minds think alike—that makes you a hero too! Haha~"
Roger laughed heartily, still as carefree as ever.
"Are you praising yourself now, Roger? Do you really think of yourself as a hero?"
Rayleigh shot back with sharp sarcasm, making Gaban and the Fish-Man Tom burst into laughter.
"Actually, Roger isn't entirely wrong. He truly is the chosen one of this era—destined to leave his mark on history."
Brook spoke with an air of seriousness, believing that both he and Roger were ant for greatness. Whether as a hero or an anti-hero, it didn't matter. The weight of his words settled over the crew, and the lively atmosphere grew quiet.
"Are you serious, Brook?"
Roger sobered up. He had been joking just now, speaking without thinking. But Brook's tone made it sound as if he truly ant it. Was he really just as full of himself?
"Yes, I'm not joking. I've seen the future. Roger, your ability to hear the Voice of All Things—your Observation Haki has awakened, hasn't it? That advanced form of Observation Haki is incredibly rare. Only one or two people per era ever attain it. It's the mark of a chosen one. And the aning of the 'D'... do you understand now?"
Brook's words stunned Roger.
"How do you know about my Haki awakening? And my wanted poster doesn't even ntion the 'D' in my na. How did you figure it out?"
"The inheritors of 'D' are always at the center of history. Your ability to hear the Voice of All Things is proof that this era has chosen you. Roger, you are destined to be extraordinary."
"The way you put it, it sounds like I'm going to be so kind of big shot in the future! Haha~"
"Number one!"
Brook smiled as he looked around at the Roger Pirates—Rayleigh, Gaban... all of them formidable warriors, blessed with both skill and luck.
"Number one what? At least explain yourself!"
"The future is sothing you carve out yourself. Go and find your own path. By the way, I hear your crew doesn't eat Devil Fruits. Do you have any in storage? Want to sell one?"
Brook changed the subject abruptly. The others decided not to press him further, but Rayleigh felt sothing was off. The way Brook spoke... it reminded him of a Den Den Mushi call. Could it be that Brook had one of those mysterious devices?
"We don't have any, and for so reason, we never seem to find any either. It's like the Devil Fruits are avoiding us. Thanks to that, we're always broke."
Roger sighed in frustration. He clearly wanted a Devil Fruit to sell for a good price, maybe even to save up for a new ship.
"Forget it! Co on, let's sing! Brook, show us what you've got. Let us hear your legendary voice!"
Left with no choice, Brook took out his violin. He closed his eyes and recalled a familiar lody, then began to play. The elegant sound of the violin filled the air...
Bring Binks' Sake, sail the seas with glee,Ride the waves and let the winds run free.Across the ocean, the sun sets bright,Birds in the sky sing, dancing in flight.
Farewell, my ho, of silk and light,Sing a song, set sail tonight.Golden waves crash, silver tides foam,The ocean calls us—we must roam...
As Brook led the song, both pirate crews joined in. Even nearby rchant and pirate ships added their voices, turning it into a grand chorus. It was clear just how widely loved this song was across the Grand Line and the Four Blues.
The night ended with drinking, feasting, and song, a perfect conclusion to their gathering.
...
Brook and his crew eventually returned to their ship, ready to continue their journey the next day.
"I never imagined Captain Brook could sing like that," Shakky mused. "I thought the old 'Brook' was long gone..."
She sighed. When she first t Brook, he had been like a cold-blooded revenant, driven solely by vengeance—a demon from the depths of hell, devoid of emotion.
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100 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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