Brook pushed the door open and entered. Hearing the sound, the four people inside the room looked over in unison.
A chorus of surprised voices rang out simultaneously.
"Whoa, seeing it in person, it really is a skeleton that can move."
"That guy Luffy certainly finds some strange people to be his companions."
"Mm, it is indeed a rare sight."
The room door was closed by the manager outside, and Brook was startled by the sound of it shutting. He then looked around the room, asking curiously, "Who are you four gentlemen, and why did you suddenly come looking for me—"
His voice stopped abruptly as he froze in place.
those dark, hollow eye sockets were fixed on a man wearing a cowboy hat. The man was sitting casually on the sofa with his legs crossed, propping up the brim of his hat with a finger. He wore a faint smile, his eyes shining with spirit as he looked at the skeleton that had just entered. At the same time, his face, dotted with a few freckles, was fully exposed to the skeleton.
Brook extended a bony finger, pointing at the freckled youth with a slight tremble.
"You, you, you are—"
Because it involved information about his captain, Luffy, Brook had read the newspapers from two years ago and thus had some memory of the face. The youth before him was the spitting image of Luffy's brother, who had died two years prior!
"It looks like you know me. That makes things easier."
Ace smiled and gave a polite self-introduction. "I am Ace, Portgas D. Ace. Or perhaps the name Fire Fist Ace is more familiar to you, Skelly."
The three people beside Ace were, naturally, Kenma, Shisui, and Yakumi. Previously, it had been Yakumi's methods that had prompted the Longarm Tribe manager outside to invite Brook, the superstar, into this room to meet with Kenma. Seeing a skeleton that could move freely with their own eyes was indeed an incredible experience for them.
After hearing Ace's introduction, the skeleton froze for three seconds before a hoarse, shrill scream erupted from his throat.
"Eeeeek! A ghost!"
Brook's soul nearly leaped out of his body. He scrambled toward the door, trying to open it and flee. However, the door had been firmly locked from the outside. No matter how he shouted or banged on it, the manager outside acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, offering no response.
Turning back to see Ace standing up from the sofa, Brook collapsed weakly to the floor, two streams of tears flowing from his dark eye sockets. As he watched Ace's figure approach him step by step, another shrill cry rang out.
"Ace... Ace's ghost! Why is he here?!"
"I—I may be a skeleton, but I think I'm still technically a living person!"
"I'm only in my nineties, and I still have a promise to my nakama that I haven't fulfilled! It's not time for me to go to the afterlife yet!"
Watching Brook wail in terror at the sight of Ace, Kenma's eye couldn't help but twitch.
'He's a skeleton himself, yet he's actually afraid of ghosts?'
Shisui and Yakumi nodded in agreement from the side.
"The people in this world generally have unusual mental wiring."
"Whether they're living or dead, their intelligence isn't exactly top-tier."
Fortunately, after Ace went over to soothe him and explained the situation once more, Brook finally quieted down. His mind returned to its usual state.
"In other words, your Excellency, the brother of Luffy, met a Shinigami and is now living happily with Whitebeard and the others in that world? Is that what you mean?"
"Though there are some differences, yeah, that's basically it," Ace nodded.
Brook climbed up from the floor, his dark sockets looking toward Kenma and the others.
"Then these gentlemen... they are the Lord Shinigami who allow Whitebeard and Luffy's brother to live normally even in the world of the dead."
Ace nodded again. "Correct."
Hearing this, Brook collapsed to the floor once more. "Does that mean you've come looking for me because you really intend to take me to the world of the dead?"
"Please, no—"
Brook cried out again. This constant jumping from one extreme to another was starting to wear on even Ace's patience. Not wanting to go through the trouble of soothing him again, Ace chose a more direct method.
He let a punch fall squarely on Brook's head.
"Quiet down! Things aren't what you think."
"The Big Boss came to find you not to take your soul, but because he wants you to help with something."
Brook clutched the swelling bump on his head, his eyes teary as his struggles slowly ceased.
Seeing that Ace had managed to calm Brook down, Kenma spoke up. "Just as Ace said, I am not here to take your soul. I simply want to see your Devil Fruit ability."
"Oh."
"So you're saying you have a request for me."
Brook stood up from the floor, holding his cane sword, and walked quite leisurely to the sofa to sit down. At the same time, he picked up the tea Shisui had just brewed and elegantly poured it into the mouth that consisted of nothing but teeth and bone.
"Since that's the case, this is a different matter entirely."
"If you're asking for a favor, you should have the attitude of someone asking for a favor. But with this attitude of yours, it makes things very difficult for me."
As Brook spoke, his tone and posture were the exact opposite of before. He placed himself on a pedestal, exuding a willful and arrogant air.
Kenma tilted his head, looking at Brook, whose attitude had shifted so drastically. He was momentarily speechless, his brow furrowing deeply. He glanced at Shisui and Yakumi beside him. Both of them looked equally bewildered, unsure how this skeleton had suddenly undergone such a massive transformation.
From his previous state of panic and helplessness to his current arrogance and posturing, the transition had happened in a single second.
"Tch."
Seeing this, Yakumi said coldly, "Watch your attitude, skeleton."
"If you intend to threaten us, then I don't mind taking you to the afterlife right now."
These words caused the skeleton's movements to freeze instantly, and the teacup in his hand fell to the floor! He struck his right fist against his left palm.
"That's right."
"You are Shinigami. Naturally, you can take my soul away."
Once Brook realized this, his neck turned as if it were rusted, turning with extreme stiffness to look at Kenma's trio. He stood up abruptly, and in the next second, he dropped directly into a kneeling position on the floor in front of the low table, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I got carried away just now, please forgive me!"
"Please don't take me to the Underworld! I haven't lived enough yet, waaaaah!"
Looking at Brook acting like this again, Kenma was utterly speechless and let out a deep sigh. He had realized that the people in this world all had some sort of mental ailment to varying degrees; normal communication was simply impossible.
The personality traits and tropes that seemed comedic in the anime and manga were actually incredibly difficult to deal with when facing them in person. He remembered that in the Straw Hat crew, Brook was considered one of the more "normal" ones.
'But looking at it now... sigh.'
'If even a "normal" person like him is this troublesome, then how exaggerated will Luffy himself be, the man who provided countless iconic scenes?'
Seeing this, Kenma gave up on the idea of continuing the conversation and decided to take direct action. He walked to the open space in front of the table and drew the Zanpakuto at his waist. The blade glowed with a clear, bright light as he pointed it at Brook below.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]