Thirty minutes earlier—
At that moment, Franky and Nico Robin were facing an enormous spider monkey.
Their pirate ship had been caught and suspended in midair precisely because of this creature, tangled within its massive web.
"Damn it, why won't this guy go down?!" Franky growled.
He had already smashed the zombie repeatedly with his gigantic nunchaku, yet it had done absolutely nothing.
"Hahahaha~!"
"You idiot! I'm a zombie—what good do attacks like that do?!" the spider monkey laughed arrogantly.
"I don't believe it!"
Enraged, Franky charged forward again and pummeled the spider monkey, smashing it hard enough to flip it over.
"Hmph. Looks like it worked a little, didn't it?" Franky snorted.
"You let your guard down…"
"What?"
Suddenly, several figures rushed out from the shadows, firing spider silk at incredible speed, instantly binding both of them.
"Damn it…"
Nico Robin's expression changed immediately. The webbing was far too fast—she couldn't dodge it.
As she looked at the swarm of rat spiders descending from above, Franky cursed, "What the hell are these things?!"
"Ahahahaha!"
Seeing the two trapped on the ground, the spider monkey burst into laughter.
"Fools! You really thought you could resist us?"
"Once our spider army launches a surprise attack, no enemy can escape!"
Stepping forward slightly, it sneered at them.
"You'll soon be just like your companions—your shadows will be taken by our master."
"Shadows…"
"Companions?"
Those words made their expressions sink even further.
"Alright," the spider monkey said smugly, "time to take you to reunite with your friends."
But just as it finished speaking, a man's humming voice drifted closer and closer.
"Yohohoho~"
"Yoho yoho~"
"Yohohoho~"
"Yoho yoho~"
"What's that sound?" the spider monkey muttered.
"No—boss, it's him!!" a rat spider screamed in terror. "It's that singing man!!"
The one who possessed the power to purify them—an existence they feared deeply!
"What?!"
Hearing that Brook was approaching, the spider monkey's expression changed drastically. Before it could react, a man's back appeared right before it.
"All done cutting~"
"Huh?"
"Hum-Drum Three-Note Style — Arrow Notch Slash!!"
Slash!
As Brook sheathed his sword, a terrifying force tore through the spider monkey, splitting its head cleanly in two!
The rat spiders weren't spared either—their bodies were cleaved apart, completely unable to move.
"Aaaah!!"
Amid their screams, Brook tossed salt straight into their mouths, forcefully purifying them.
"What did you use?!" Franky shouted in shock.
No matter how hard he'd hit them earlier, they hadn't gone down—yet Brook finished them instantly?!
What was that?
"Salt," Brook replied with a nod. "Using salt can purify these zombies."
"Salt?!" Franky stared. "Why?"
"Perhaps because seawater is the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users," Brook said after a moment of thought.
After speaking, he turned and cut away the spider silk binding the two, freeing them.
"Thanks."
"No need," Brook said gently, then added, "But didn't I tell you to leave? Why did you still come ashore?"
"Because Luffy wanted to help you get your shadow back," Franky replied.
"Luffy-san…"
Brook fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"He truly is a good man."
"Yohohoho~"
It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved—but what could he possibly offer in return now?
"Now you can tell us what's really going on with this island," Robin said calmly.
"…Alright."
After letting out a long breath, Brook began.
"First, I must tell you—our enemy this time is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea: Gecko Moria!"
"A Shichibukai?" Franky raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that.
"And then?" Robin asked calmly.
"Eh?!"
"You're… not surprised at all?!"
Brook stared at her in disbelief. That was a Shichibukai!
"Our captain is a man who will become the Pirate King," Robin replied calmly. "Why would I fear a Shichibukai?"
Besides, they had already defeated one before.
With their current strength, beating another wasn't impossible.
"Th-that's certainly… a bold statement," Brook said weakly.
"From what that bastard said earlier," Franky continued, "some of our companions already had their shadows stolen. Why does he even want our shadows?"
"Because Moria uses shadows to create zombies."
"Create zombies?"
Franky glanced instinctively at the corpses on the ground. Were these things really revived by shadows?
"Yes," Brook explained. "With the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he can steal other people's shadows."
"He then inserts those shadows into corpses. Once that happens, the body revives and becomes Moria's most loyal soldier."
"The stronger the corpse and the stronger the shadow, the more powerful the zombie."
"I see…" Franky stroked his chin. "So that's why Moria targeted us."
With strength like theirs, it made perfect sense.
"But where does he get so many powerful bodies?" Robin asked, glancing at the spider monkey. "These clearly look modified."
Without professional skill, that level of reconstruction would be impossible.
Was Moria secretly a surgeon?
"That's because of a man named Hogback."
"Hogback…"
"You know him?" Franky asked in surprise.
"Yes," Robin nodded. "He's a very famous surgeon. Especially in the medical world—almost no one doesn't know his name."
"With him around, Moria would never lack powerful modified corpses."
As she spoke, Robin thought of Chopper.
She couldn't help wondering—was it because of that doctor's reputation that Chopper had been deceived?
The possibility was disturbingly high.
"Yohohoho~ what an incredibly knowledgeable lady," Brook said admiringly.
"I've simply read a few more books."
"You're too modest. People with knowledge like yours are quite rare."
Brook held scholars in genuine respect.
Robin only smiled, saying nothing more.
"In short," Brook continued, "with Hogback's help, Moria gains countless powerful modified bodies."
"When powerful shadows are combined with powerful corpses, it's like reviving a mighty warrior."
"That way, he no longer needs disobedient humans."
"That's why this island is filled with zombies—they're absolutely loyal to him."
"So he doesn't need human subordinates…" Franky muttered. "Sounds like he's been through something."
Perhaps betrayal.
"Then what happens to those whose shadows are taken?" Robin asked. "Is it dangerous?"
Brook was still alive, but that could be an exception. She didn't want to gamble on that.
"Don't worry," Brook said gently. "They won't die."
"Whether a shadow exists depends entirely on the life of its owner."
"If the owner dies, the shadow disappears—so Moria won't kill them."
"At most, he'll throw them back onto their ship."
"So if you return now, you should be able to find them."
"If you wish to reclaim the shadows, you can come back to challenge them again."
He paused briefly, then said softly, "If I'm still alive, I'll come help you."
"Then… farewell, you two~"
Seeing the resolve in Brook's posture, Franky instinctively asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Of course—take back my shadow," Brook replied without turning around.
"I made a promise with my companion. I must return to see him."
"He… has been waiting a very, very long time."
Thinking of that tiny whale from long ago, Brook's body trembled slightly.
A promise delayed for decades—he didn't know what had become of that little fellow.
Franky fell silent, then asked, "Even in your current state… you're still going?"
"Of course!" Brook cried passionately. "I must!"
Even if he had been dead for decades, even if he didn't know whether that companion still waited—he still had to go!
After taking a deep breath to steady himself, Brook said, "I'm sorry…"
"I still have things to do. Please excuse me."
"Hey, skeleton," Franky called out.
"You know what kind of state you're in, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You should know what kind of reaction ordinary people would have when they see you," Franky said seriously.
"Fear. Shock. Terror."
"That's how most people would react."
Not everyone would treat a walking skeleton the way they did—inviting him to eat and talk.
If Brook finally returned to his companion, only to be seen as a monster…
How cruel would that be?
"You're not afraid… of that?" Franky asked quietly.
He didn't finish the sentence—but Brook understood.
"I'll say it again," Brook replied firmly. "Even so—I must go!"
"I see…" Franky lowered his arms, then asked seriously, "Then this promise—one that made you drift alone on the sea for decades without ever changing your resolve… what exactly is it?"
Brook paused.
"Heh… you really are a meddlesome gentleman~"
He understood Franky's concern—things might not turn out as beautifully as he imagined.
But still, his resolve would never waver.
Turning back, Brook spoke softly.
"It happened a very long time ago…"
"When our Rumbar Pirates passed through Twin Cape, we were forced to leave one companion behind."
"It was a parting filled with pain."
"Twin Cape?" Robin murmured.
She knew that place—the lighthouse at the entrance of the Grand Line.
"So he had ties to that place…"
"Yes," Brook nodded. "We promised that no matter what happened, we would return there."
"But… our crew was completely wiped out in these seas. We couldn't fulfill that promise."
"Still, I believe that even if I'm the only one left, I have the duty to tell him the truth."
"When I think about it… it's been fifty years since the day we died."
"Fi—fifty years?!" Franky gasped. "That was before I was even born…"
"As cruel as it may sound," Franky continued, "after that long… there's no way he could still be waiting…"
Before he could finish, Brook shouted emotionally:
"What right do I have to decide that he's no longer waiting?!"
"What if he believed in our promise and stayed there all this time?!"
"Believing we betrayed him—yet refusing to accept it—waiting alone for fifty years… how much pain would that be?!"
Franky froze.
Brook wasn't concerned about himself at all—only about his companion.
Even if that companion might already have died of old age… he still wouldn't give up.
"But fifty years is enough time for a normal person to—"
"No," Brook said firmly. "Fifty years is not enough for him to die."
"Why?"
"Because he is an island whale—his lifespan far exceeds that of humans!"
A nostalgic light flickered in Brook's eyes.
"We named him Laboon. Back then, he was only this big."
He gestured with his hands.
"Even after fifty years, he couldn't have died of old age."
As long as nothing happened, Laboon would still be alive.
Island whales lived for hundreds of years.
"A whale?!" Franky exclaimed. "Your companion is a whale?!"
Even Robin was stunned.
"Yes—a whale," Brook said with a gentle smile.
"That little fellow loved our music. He followed us all the way from the West Blue to the entrance of the Grand Line…"
"After we left… perhaps he waited for us every single day."
As he spoke, Brook's smile faded, his body beginning to tremble.
He gripped his cane-sword tightly, his voice shaking.
"For fifty years, I've looked up at the sky every day, imagining the moment I would see Laboon again."
"But every time I imagined it, I also saw him gazing at the sea… crying out in pain… calling for us…"
"As if asking why we never returned—why we abandoned him…"
"Every time I thought of that, my heart felt like it was being torn apart."
Then Brook shouted with all his strength:
"A man who says he'll return—must do so, even if he's dead!!"
Bang!
He slammed his cane-sword into the ground.
"…You bastard."
Franky stared at Brook's back, deeply shaken.
Fifty years.
A promise.
A whale.
Not knowing whether forgiveness awaited him—yet still pressing forward.
Nothing could change this man's resolve.
Franky felt his heart tremble.
"If we meet again while still alive," Brook said softly, "let us drink together."
"When that day comes, I'll tell you more of our story."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
This time, Franky didn't stop him—he simply watched the true man depart.
What reason could there be to stop someone from fulfilling such a promise?
…
After hearing Franky's story, Luffy and the others were left speechless.
"So the one Laboon has been waiting for… is Brook?"
"Huh?"
"You know him?" Franky asked in surprise.
"We do!!" Usopp exclaimed excitedly. "When we were at Twin Cape, we met that giant whale—Laboon!!"
"Huh?" Chopper tilted his head. "Who's that?"
"Oh, it's normal you don't know," Usopp explained. "You hadn't joined yet back then."
"He's a huge whale we met when we first entered the Grand Line."
"I know too~" Merry said.
Though she couldn't speak at the time, she still remembered Laboon.
Usopp looked surprised at first, but after recalling Merry's explanation about consciousness, he quickly accepted it.
Jin sighed softly.
Though he hadn't experienced it alongside the Straw Hats, he had accompanied them in another way.
That mutual bond moved even him.
"So Laboon's been waiting for Brook…" Zoro said quietly. "That really is fate."
"That big guy gave us a lot of trouble back then," Nami added with emotion.
Franky looked puzzled. "So… what exactly happened?"
"It's a long story," Sanji said. "But in short… that whale really does live at Twin Cape."
"There was an old man there who once told Laboon that Brook and his crew had already died—but he refused to believe it."
"So every day, he smashed himself against the Red Line…"
"As if trying to break through it and reach the other side to find his companions."
"No matter how badly injured he became, he never stopped."
"He lived like that for decades…"
"If Luffy hadn't made a new promise with him back then," Nami said softly, "he might still be hurting himself even now."
"Right now, he must still be alive—on the other side of the sky—gazing at the Red Line and waiting for his friends to return."
Franky was deeply shaken.
"So… not only did Brook never forget that promise for fifty years…"
"…the one waiting for him didn't forget either?"
This was… far too moving.
"Waaah!!"
"I love them both!! Skeleton or whale, I love them both!!" Franky bawled loudly.
He loved men like this more than anything.
"Fifty years of holding onto a promise…" Usopp wiped his tears. "That's incredible!"
Lola and the others were equally stunned.
They couldn't imagine anyone holding onto a promise for fifty whole years.
Luffy, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly grinned.
"Man… that really fires me up."
"Brook's a musician, a walking skeleton—and most importantly, Laboon's companion…"
"Even if I have to drag him onboard, I'm making him my crewmate."
"Guys—any objections?"
"No!!"
This time, the entire Straw Hat crew agreed without hesitation.
A man who valued bonds like that deserved to be their companion.
Hearing their unanimous answer, Luffy flashed a wide grin.
"Alright then! Let's go beat the crap out of that damn Moria—"
"And take our crewmate back together!!"
"Yeah!!"
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