"Where is that sound coming from? Hey!" Usopp imdiately freaked out, covering his ears and trembling as he said, "Don't listen! Don't listen! It's the Evil Spirit's temptation—if you listen, you'll get taken away!"
"Ahhh!"
"Nooo!"
Chopper was so scared his fur stood on end, clinging to Usopp and shivering uncontrollably.
"Could it really be a Ghost Ship?"
"Not sure, but that sound is definitely creepy..."
"It's here! It's a Ghost Ship!!"
As the eerie vessel gradually approached the Thousand Sunny, accompanied by that indescribably strange sound, the atmosphere instantly beca terrifying.
iser and Zoro imdiately gripped the hilts of their swords, their expressions grave as they watched the Ghost Ship.
"There's a figure on it."
"An enemy?" Zoro said. "If it's an enemy, I'll cut him down."
"Stop talking, please stop talking!"
"Is... is it the Ship Spirit?"
rry, clutching iser's pants, stamred, "Is it the Ship Spirit?"
If it was the Ship Spirit, she wouldn't be afraid—they were the sa kind, after all.
But if it was a ghost... she'd be terrified too!
"Whether it's the Ship Spirit or not, I don't know, but that guy up there..." iser activated his Sharingan and instantly saw the figure clearly.
He froze for a mont, then said in disbelief, "A... a moving skeleton?"
"What?"
"Everyone, brace yourselves—this thing is a moving skeleton!"
iser realized the unsettling sound was clearly coming from the animated skeleton.
But why was there a moving skeleton?
Could it be... that this guy was similar to rry, so kind of extrely unique lifeform?
At this thought, iser grew excited. This might be a Summoned Beast delivered right to their doorstep!
"A moving skeleton?" Sanji exclaid in shock. "Hey, iser, are you sure you're not seeing things?"
"I'm sure."
"Damn it, could it really be an undead?!" Usopp yelled. "Chopper, whatever you do, don't look up—you'll get taken away!"
Chopper, hearing this, burst into tears, trembling so hard he didn't dare lift his head.
Just then, the ship drew closer to the Thousand Sunny, allowing everyone to see what was on it clearly.
There was Brook, swaying slightly to the rhythm of his own song, as if thoroughly enjoying himself.
"It really is a moving skeleton..."
"Yohohoho~"
"Yohohohoho~"
"Yohohoho~"
"Yohohohoho~"
"Binks' Sake..."
Watching the tattered ship gradually drift away, Luffy suddenly grinned excitedly and said, "Hey, did you guys see that? That skeleton was singing and talking!"
Such a bizarre creature instantly captivated Luffy.
He was desperate to get closer and figure out what that guy was all about.
"Idiot, how could a skeleton sing?!" Usopp roared with a shark-like expression. "Stop talking nonsense, Luffy!"
"But he was singing just now!"
"That must be the Evil Spirit trying to trick us..."
"I don't know about evil spirits, but... this guy might just beco a Summoned Beast," iser said, stroking his chin.
"What do you an?"
"I suspect this guy is a special lifeform, just like rry," iser laughed. "Hey, Luffy, want to go check it out?"
If they could really register its na in the Summoning Scroll, then this trip would be worth it.
"Hey, iser, how—"
"Let's go, let's go, iser! We're heading out!"
Luffy excitedly grabbed iser and quickly dragged him toward the ship's edge, saying, "Hurry, don't let that guy get away!"
At this point, Luffy couldn't wait to et the moving skeleton.
A living skeleton—how incredible was that?!
"Hey, you two, wait a minute!" Sanji shouted.
"What's up?"
"Before we go, let's draw lots," Zoro said, pulling out a few small sticks. "Whoever picks the longest one goes with Luffy."
"Why?!"
"Damn it, Zoro! Can't you just let whoever wants to go go?!"
Nami imdiately bristled. Drawing lots ant she might get chosen too!
Just the thought of facing such a terrifying skeleton made her whole body tremble.
"If we all just went, there'd be hardly anyone left on the ship," Zoro reasoned. "You should be able to see that."
As he spoke, he glanced at Nico Robin and Franky, who were already standing beside Luffy, clearly planning to go along.
If he and Sanji went too, only Nami and the others would remain on the ship—just four of them. That was no good. If sothing truly terrifying erged from the mist, those four would be in serious danger.
Nami...
"Fine... I'll draw... I'll draw, okay?!"
Tears welled up in Nami's eyes as she reluctantly made her decision.
"Please, heavens, don't let get picked," Usopp muttered under his breath.
"Eh, does this really work?"
"Chopper, rry, you have to pray! Otherwise, you'll get picked!"
"Got it!"
Successfully led astray by Usopp, the two little ones closed their eyes and prayed before drawing their sticks.
In the end, the three of them weren't chosen—but Nami was.
"Why ...?!"
Nami's face turned green. She was clearly the most terrified one—why did she have to go to such a horrifying place?
Just the thought of getting close to that dreadful skeleton made her tremble uncontrollably.
"Nami, I told you, you have to pray to make sure you don't get picked."
"Damn it, can't we do it again...?"
"No way," Zoro shook his head. "If we redid it every ti, drawing lots would be pointless."
Seeing Zoro's firm stance, Nami could only lower her head in resignation and sigh silently.
In the end, Sanji, iser, Luffy, and Nami were chosen and set off toward the Ghost Ship in a lifeboat.
"Seriously, if you're this scared, you shouldn't have co."
"You idiot, Luffy!" Nami grabbed him by the neck and yelled, "You think I wanted to co?!"
"If it weren't for that damn lot...!"
With Nami choking him, Luffy looked at her helplessly and said, "I could've gone by myself, you know."
"That won't do," Sanji said. "Who knows if you'll cause trouble? What if you end up cursing our ship?"
"Then iser can co with ."
"That guy isn't much better than you when it cos to recklessness," Sanji retorted.
A madman who dared challenge a Buster Call—was there anything he wouldn't do?
Ghosts?
Curses?
If anyone actually tried anything on him, they'd probably eat a Fire Release the mont they t his gaze.
But doing that might just end up saddling the Thousand Sunny with so strange curse, so Sanji had to be cautious.
"Tch, don't lump in with Luffy," iser muttered with a pout.
"Alright, let's hurry up and go. I still need to et that skeleton," Luffy, now free from Nami's grip, said as he looked upward. "Wonder what kind of guy he is."
"That's definitely not a guy!"
"After decades... to think I'd et living people again."
Brook, holding a cup of tea, trembled slightly, his entire body overco with excitent.
All these years, he had wandered alone, like a lingering ghost.
Finally seeing other living people—how could Brook, who had been driven nearly mad with loneliness, not be thrilled?
"Yohohoho~"
"This is so exciting!"
"Living people at last!"
Brook couldn't even rember the last ti he'd seen living people.
Watching the group climb up the rope, he imdiately approached them. "Hello there, living people!"
"My sincerest apologies for not greeting you properly earlier."
"I was just so excited—it's been decades since I've seen living people, yohohoho~"
"All I've had around here are Ghost Ships and more Ghost Ships. It's been terrifying!"
"Please, please, make yourselves at ho. Sit wherever you like."
"Look, this guy's really talking!" Luffy exclaid, eyes sparkling. "A living skeleton!"
"Not just that—he's a chatterbox too."
Sanji stared at Brook in surprise. He hadn't expected the skeleton to be so talkative, instantly dispelling any eerie atmosphere.
Even though he was a skeleton, Sanji didn't find him particularly frightening.
"Decades without seeing living people?" iser raised an eyebrow. "Could he really be so kind of special lifeform?"
This imdiately piqued iser's interest. This guy might actually be able to sign his na on a Summoning Scroll—though whether he had any special abilities remained to be seen.
If he had no abilities at all and was just a moving skeleton, his usefulness would be limited to scaring people.
"Ah~"
"Now that I look closely, there's even a lovely lady among you! I'm so excited, I'm trembling all over."
With that, under the group's bewildered gazes, Brook set his teacup down on the table and straightened his appearance with gentlemanly refinent. His dignified deanor gave them the strange illusion that this skeleton might actually be a proper gentleman.
After delicately polishing his shoes, Brook approached Nami and said, "My dear beautiful lady, might I have the pleasure of admiring your panties?"
iser: "..."
Sanji: "???"
Nami: "!!!"
"Bastard, who would show you that?!"
BAM!
An enraged Nami punched Brook square in the head, sending his body spinning before crashing hard onto the ground.
But Brook didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he laughed and said, "What a violent punch—it hurt all the way into my brain."
"Ah, though I'm just a skeleton and don't actually have a brain, yo-ho-ho-ho~"
"You damn perverted skeleton, just die already!" Nami roared with shark-like teeth bared.
After Brook's antics, Nami wasn't scared anymore—in fact, she kind of wanted to punch him again.
Who just asks soone that kind of question right off the bat?!
"Hahahaha, this guy's hilarious."
"More importantly, how the hell does a skeleton even get a bump?" Sanji muttered. "He's literally just bones."
There wasn't a shred of flesh on him, yet he grew a bump from being punched?
What kind of logic was that?
"Uh... maybe it's because of Nami?"
iser thought about it—Nami sotis really did have special abilities.
Like when she punched her own crewmates, her speed and strength were beyond imagination, shocking even him.
Basically, when Nami wanted to hit soone, no one could escape.
Hearing iser's explanation, Sanji actually considered it seriously before realizing iser was ssing with him.
"That's impossible, you bastard!"
"Perverted skeleton, ask that again and I'll punch you again!" Nami clenched her fist.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, what a fiery lady~"
Brook got back up, not angry at all about being punched. If anything, Nami made him feel alive again.
More than pain, he feared loneliness.
"Hey, skeleton, do you poop?" Luffy suddenly blurted out.
Sanji: ???
"Is this really the ti for that?!" Sanji roared with shark-like teeth. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Shouldn't they be asking more important questions, like what was going on here or whether there was really a Ghost Ship?
And yet this idiot Luffy asks that?!
"No, I'm actually kind of curious about that too." iser stroked his chin.
"Damn it, you're just like Luffy now!"
"Well, about that question..."
Brook thought seriously for a mont, walked over to pick up his teacup, then turned back to Luffy and said, "Hmm, yes, I do."
"Bastard, why did you have to think about it that long?!"
"Hahaha, you're really funny!" Luffy laughed heartily. "Hey, skeleton, join my crew."
"WHAAAT?!"
Sanji and Nami stared at Luffy in disbelief—just straight-up inviting him to join the crew like that?
At least get so background first!
"Sure."
"Wait, seriously?!"
"That's Luffy for you." iser sighed.
This scene felt familiar—back when he first t Luffy on the Sea Train, hadn't Luffy just as bluntly invited him to join the Straw Hat Pirates?
The exchange had been just as simple and direct—one question, one answer, and boom, they were crewmates.
"Dammit..." Sanji covered his face. "I can already see Moss Head laughing at for this."
("You idiot cook, what exactly did you guys accomplish by going along?!")
"Hmm, sa here."
"Co on, let's go to our ship," Luffy invited. "Perfect timing to introduce you to the crew!"
"Yohohoho, what an honor indeed~" Brook perford a gentlemanly bow with utmost courtesy. "Then please, lead the way."
eting more living people was undoubtedly good news for Brook.
"Hey, iser, are we really taking him back with us?" Nami tugged at iser's arm.
"Luffy's already invited him to join the crew, so of course we're taking him back," iser said. "Resign yourself to it, Nami dear~"
At tis like these, when the captain Luffy made a decision, everyone in the pirate crew had to comply.
Nami knew iser was right, and could only nod in reluctant acceptance.
Just as iser said - this was Captain Luffy's decision. What else could she say?
She could only hope this talking skeleton would prove sowhat reliable.
Though rembering how he'd made that request upon first eting, Nami felt their future looked rather bleak.
"Let's go, back to the Thousand Sunny!"
"Alright!"
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