"Of course there are ghosts," Luffy said with a mysterious grin. "We're in that sea now, after all!"
Franky struck a pose. "He's right! This is the legendary Florian Triangle. Countless ships go missing here every year, some of them for hundreds of years. It wouldn't be surprising to find ghosts and monsters."
The duo's words only sent a fresh wave of terror through Usopp and the others. Even though they had all grown much stronger, their cowardly streak was something they just couldn't shake.
"Hehehehe," Sanji chuckled, lighting a cigarette and holding it close to his face, making his features look eerie in the dim light. "They say you can sometimes see ships that disappeared a century ago, with living skeletons still walking the decks!"
Usopp and Chopper screamed, clinging to each other in sheer horror.
Then Nami's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, the Florian Triangle? Living skeletons? This all sounds so familiar!"
"That's because someone mentioned it back at Reverse Mountain," Tashigi said, helping her connect the dots.
"Reverse Mountain!" Usopp gasped, the memory clicking into place.
Luffy snapped his fingers. "Right! Mr. Carl once said that the pirate crew who made the promise to Laboon had a guy with an afro who turned into a skeleton!"
"Is that the Laboon you wrote about in your logbook?" Marie asked, taking a bite of a biscuit.
"Laboon? You mean the big whale at Reverse Mountain, the one that made a promise with Luffy?!" Chopper's eyes lit up.
Everyone who had been at Reverse Mountain, along with those who had read Ikki's logbook, couldn't help but smile. Now that they were here, they could finally help Laboon find the afro-skeleton he was waiting for!
They all looked at Ikki for confirmation. He just shrugged. "I know Brook is here. As for his exact location, we'll have to look for him."
At that moment, Law came onto the deck with Bepo. "Straw Hat-ya, why are you in Moria's territory?" he asked, looking confused. Law knew about the Florian Triangle and that it was the territory of the Warlord Gekko Moria, but he couldn't figure out why the Straw Hats would have come here on purpose. "Are you going to take on another Warlord?"
"Oh, we just stumbled in by mistake," Luffy replied with a grin. "But now we're looking for someone." He explained the story about Laboon. Law just listened without saying anything. He figured with the Straw Hats' strength, they'd be fine. A simple Moria would be no problem for them.
As they were talking, a dilapidated ship suddenly drifted past. On the bow, a skeleton with a large afro sat leaning against the railing, its hollow eye sockets staring at them.
The timid members of the crew felt their hair stand on end.
"Yohohohoho! Hello, everyone! How do you do?" The skeleton's jaw moved as he spoke.
"The skeleton talked!" Usopp and the others screamed.
"We found him! Afro Brook!"
Brook was momentarily stunned. He didn't expect these strangers to know his name. Filled with curiosity, he leaped directly onto the Thousand Sunny. Since he was nothing but bones, he was incredibly light, allowing him to jump a great distance with ease.
Usopp and Chopper, who had already put on their "ghost-repelling" gear, which included garlic around their necks and rosaries and crucifixes in their hands, pointed them at Brook.
Seeing this, Brook instinctively took a step back.
"Usopp, the ghost-repelling gear is working!" Chopper cheered.
"Ghost? Where?!" Brook looked around nervously.
"You're the ghost!" Usopp and Chopper roared. It was so unbelievable; this guy was a walking skeleton and didn't even realize he looked like a ghost!
Brook just shrugged. He then noticed Nami, Robin, and Tashigi. "Ah, hello, beautiful ladies! It's a bit rude of me to ask, but may I see your panties?"
"Get lost, you perverted skeleton!" Nami yelled, sending a punch that knocked Brook flat onto the deck.
Nami wasn't scared. She remembered Ikki mentioning that Brook wasn't some kind of ghost, but a person with a Devil Fruit power.
"Hahahahaha!" Luffy howled with laughter. "What a funny skeleton!"
Brook quickly got back up and bowed politely. "Pleased to meet you all. My name is Brook. May I ask why you know my name?"
Luffy held up a photograph. "We met Laboon at Reverse Mountain and heard all about you. Mr. Carl told us that Laboon's pirate friend, the one with an afro named Brook, was in the Florian Triangle, so we recognized you right away!"
Brook started to tremble and took the photo with a shaking hand. When he saw the massive whale in the picture, tears streamed from his empty eye sockets.
"Laboon! Laboon!" he sobbed. "I'm so sorry, I haven't been able to come back! I'm sorry!"
The skeleton couldn't stop crying, telling them the story of the past fifty years. After they said goodbye to Laboon, the Rumbar Pirates continued their journey across the Grand Line, but eventually, the crew began to fall ill and die one by one, until only Brook was left.
However, because he had eaten the Revive-Revive Fruit, his soul was able to find his body a year after he died. By then, though, his body had already decomposed into a skeleton.
He eventually wandered into the Florian Triangle, where he somehow lost his shadow. Without his shadow, he would turn to ash if he touched sunlight, so he couldn't return to Laboon at Reverse Mountain.
For all those years, he never doubted that Laboon was still waiting for him, because as the one who was supposed to return, he had no right to doubt. So he had been fighting endlessly to get his shadow back.
Franky had tears in his eyes. "You're a real man, you bastard! So manly!"
All the Straw Hats were moved by his story. Laboon hadn't waited in vain. Even Tashigi, who hated pirates, couldn't help but feel for him. Laboon's story had already moved her, and now that she had met the person the whale was waiting for, she was so happy for Laboon that her eyes grew misty.
"Alright!" Luffy shouted. "We'll help you get your shadow back! Laboon's friend is our friend, too!"
Brook was grateful but shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but the person who stole my shadow is very strong. I don't want to drag you into my problems. You should leave as soon as you can. If you have the chance, just let Laboon know what happened."
Luffy just grinned. "It's fine, we're really strong. Our opponent is the Warlord Gekko Moria. It won't be hard to beat him."
Brook tilted his head in confusion. He had no idea what a Warlord was or why these people were so confident, but since they wouldn't listen to him, he couldn't force them to leave. He just hoped that if things went south, he could convince them to escape and carry a message back to Laboon for him.
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