Hello everybody!

I know it's been a couple years but Skeleton Moon is back with a new chapter. Of the stories that I have posted, I have completely planned out this story and I really do want to finish it. So while the updates will be irregular, my intent is to finish Skeleton Moon.

Here is the next chapter where Brook will be meeting the new "king" of Crescend Luna. Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Dinner at the Royal Sea Tower

Location: Crescend Minor, Grand St.
Time: Late Afternoon
Current Year

The walk through the town was a pleasant one, a bit crowded, but pleasant. The tower where royalty and the government currently resided was on the far end of town. It was the exact opposite direction they had taken to Jean's domed workshop. The tower was connected to Grand Street, the widest and commonly used road. And since there was a huge festival, Grand Street was even more crowded.

Luan and the Strawhats were trying to reach the Royal Tower while Sanji noodle danced around them, screaming about beautiful "mellinories."

"Wo-AH!" Sanji shouted as he spied a beautiful lady at a merchandise stand.

"Beauty!" he exclaimed as a blonde walked by them.

"SO PURE!" he cheered at the sight of two girls playing music.

"So many beautiful ladies! I'm in heaven!" Sanji pronounced happily.

"The citizens of Crescent Luna strive themselves to be the absolute of perfection" chimed Luan.

"Are we there yet?" Luffy asked.

"No."

"There are a lot of young people. I guess the plague really did kill off all your old folk." Franky remarked. Nami jabbed Franky for being insensitive.

"Yes, but it's not so bad, our old people count just went up by one." Luan replied smiling at Brook.

"I am old in body but my spirit is as fresh as when I died!" Brook proclaimed.

Hearing that, Luan pressed her lips into a thin frown. "For now, the topic of death is taboo." She said, leaving no room for questions.

Brook processed what she said. "Alright, little moon." He conceded.

"Excuse me." Chopper said as he nudged his way through the legs of tourists.

Seeing his crewmate struggle, Zoro scooped Chopper up and placed him on his shoulder.

"Sorry." The doctor squeaked.

"It's nothing Chopper, Marimo's use to it." Sanji said smugly.

"What's up with the grin?!" Zoro snapped.

"Nothing our pack mule should worry about." Sanji remarked.

"Lovesick cook."

"Are we there yet?" Luffy's voice piqued between the two soon to be physically clashing crewmates.

"No," Luan replied.

"So what's your king like? Does he have any gold?" Nami asked. Knowing more about the island's ruler and power would be good, it's not like she any personal reasons.

"Mr. Morgant, our steward." Luan stressed. "Lived on an island that once was part of Crescent Luna's Kingdom but it had been lost after several wars. He has a very strong….. interest of current culture. He will suffice until Prince Alto is of age. Morgant did save us from the disease and that, I am grateful for."

"Everybody looks super!" Franky noticed.

"Yes, we are better off than we have been. Our last king tried very hard to keep this island from falling apart." Luan said.

"King Alto, I believe he would have done a wonderful job no matter the circumstances." Brook stated confidently. "He has the will of our Lady."

Luan smiled fondly. "Yes, yes he did. Though we fell to dark times, King Alto stayed strong until the very end. He was a very humble man. I spoke to the King before the sickness took him… he wished to thank you again."

"Yes, I hope he still wasn't…"

"He got over it." Luan stated simply.

Brook sighed in relief. "Good, it wasn't his fault."

"I feel like we're missing a story here." Usopp said.

"When King Alto was just a child, he got kidnapped by one of enemies at the time. Mister Brook led a small squad to retrieve him." Luan explained.

"It was the mission that I was blinded." Brook explained. Luan's frown hardened at the mention of Brook's blindness.

"That's terrible." Nami said sympathetically.

Zoro just nodded his head.

"Don't feel down my friends! I can see once again and if I never went on the rescue mission, I wouldn't be here as I stand! Yohohohoh!" Brook laughed happily, causing the mood to lighten around the strawhats though Luan still looked pretty sour.

"Shishishi! All this walking's making me hungry, nah Granny. Are we there yet?" Luffy asked.

"NO, YOU BAKA!" Sanji shouted.

Luan stopped and looked up. "Actually, we are."

Everyone mimicked the old woman's action, finally realizing that they had entered into a wide circular plaza. In the middle stood a huge tower that was near the height of Crescend Minor's hill. The radius around the tower was clearly cut green grass with several large pathways leading to the tower. There were several small groups of Royal Guardsmen marching along the paths in perfect sync.

"SUIGUE!" Luffy shouted.

"It's so tall!" Usopp remarked. The tower definitely stood out in this town.

"Granny!" Two nearly identical voices shouted.

Two guards broke away from their unit and ran to them. Before the guards reached the strawhats, the woman tripped over her feet. She hovered in the air for a second as momentum brought her into the man. Shock was clear on the young man's face before it was planted into the ground. The two bodies skidded and stopped in front of the group. There was a brief moment when nothing happened. Suddenly a small explosion erupted from the two guards, surprising most of the group.

"HOLY SHIT!" Sanji exclaimed.

"They exploded!" Nami gasped.

"Oh my," Brook muttered. That entrance of the two guards reminded him of a very clumsy royal guard he had known.

"That was awesome!" Luffy cheered.

"No it's not! They need a doctor!" Chopper shouted, slightly annoyed.

"They're fine, dear." Luan deadpanned.

The air cleared leaving two, crispy but relatively unharmed, soldiers. Together, they stood up, brushed some dirt off their pants, placing their hands over their hearts and bowed at the waist.

"Good evening Granny, we were awaiting your arrival." They said and did everything in perfect unison.

"They're clones!" Luffy decided completely full of bliss and awe.

Zoro studied the two guards in front on them. They did look similar enough to be family. They had orange brownish spikey hair, the man's hair was stuck out into the air, the woman's was longer but it didn't reach her shoulders. They wore the standard purple uniform that he had seen the royal guards wear but in addition to the now dirt and soot on them, there were noticeable old scuffs and burns on their uniforms. Besides the soot, the only thing that stood out about the guards was that they both had a navy triangle tattooed below their eyes. The man had it under his right and the woman had it opposite. Both had swords at their sides which helped fuel Zoro's interest.

The two guards raised theirs head together. "Wrong, we're twins." They said and smiled widely.

"I'm Columba." The male introduced.

"And I'm Jemima." The female stated.

"And we are….." They struck a pose, "The Boom Gentleman and Lady!"

"Super introduction!" Franky complimented.

"Only this could be done with a beautiful lady!" Sanji exclaimed. "The dirt only accents your inner beauty!"

Jemima stumbled at Sanji's praise. "Eh?"

"Give it a rest." Zoro muttered.

Sanji just stuck his tongue at his rival. It was childish but he was tired and hungry.

"King Morgant told us you were coming, he instructed us to bring you to the dining hall when you arrived." Columba explained.

"If you please follow us," Jemima added.

The twin guards walked them up to the tower. Now that the strawhats were closer, they could see a twenty foot tall black bared gate around the circumference of the tower, giving only about forty feet between the iron bars and the tower. There were royal guards lined periodically against the fence. There was one guard that stood a little away from the gate. It was a female royal guard who held a certain air of superiority. She had long wild red hair which was tied in a loose ponytail with a piece of green cloth which was looped around her head to also act as a headband. When she saw the merry band approach, she frowned deeper.

"Sir Columba, Lady Jemima, what are you doing abandoning your post?" she demanded.

The twins looked off in different directions guiltily.

"Reasons," They said at once.

"I have a short fuse today." The red haired growled.

The twins saluted. "SORRY MA'AM!"

Columba rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Umm… when King Morgant told us the winner of the KMC was the brother of Granny…."

"We asked him to allow us to escort them." Jemima finished.

"And that excuses you from your post without a direct order from me?" The unnamed guard questioned.

The twins looked at each other before Jemima said hesitantly…

"….Yeah?"

Their superior officer did not look amused at all. "If you want to see Mrs. Luan, do it on your off time."

"Yes Ma'am." The Boom Gentleman and Lady said in defeat.

"To your posts," The red head ordered.

"Yes ma'am. Bye Granny."

The twins ran off as fast as they could. The red haired commanding officer sighed before bowing to the group.

"My apologies that you had to witness such a scene," She said before standing straight and tall. "Allow me to escort you the rest of the way."

The guard led them through the gate and into the tower. The inside was just as magnificent as the outside. It definitely was a building fit for royalty. At the same time, there were many displays of objects that looked to be antiques. Many were instruments or inventions. Paintings of royal guards lined the spiraling halls that the guard led them through. Brook recognized many of them at least by face.

"Look at all these paintings." Nami said aloud.

"You'll find at least one in every hall." The guard said to the group. "Though the total number is not known without calculations, but it is estimated that there are several thousand in the stairwells and several hundred per hall."

"Damn." Zoro muttered.

"Hey look! That guy has a lotta of hair!" Luffy stated, pointing towards one of the portraits.

The captain was right. On the portrait that was about as long as an average human, the painting showed the full body of a very lanky royal guardsman. The man wore a standard uniform with a purple cane in his hands. Circular glasses covered his eyes but he had one crazy wide grin. A thin scar was curved from his airline and almost reached his eyebrows. His skin was tan and his hair full of black curls, pulled back by a band creating a bushy bunch behind him.

Franky's eyes widened, he pushed up his sunglasses, "No way."

Name frowned. "Could it be…"

"Impossible." Sanji murmured.

"Ah, I look so young." Brook remarked.

"THAT'S YOU!?" The strawhats exclaimed.

"Why's your afro behind your head?" Luffy asked.

"BAKA! That's what you think about?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"AH! BROOK HAS FLESH!" Luffy shouted.

"You just noticed?" Chopper questioned.

"Sir Brook, the Humming Gentleman," The red haired guard said with spark of recognition clear in her eyes. She bowed deeply. "I did not recognize you, forgive me for my insolence."

"No, do not worry. My appearance has taken drastic changes since I left." Brook excused.

Accepting this, the guard changed the subject for the sake of the visitors. "To honor all the men and women who fight in the kingdom's service receive a portrait in the Royal Castle. Since the town was rebuilt, the paintings were transferred to the Royal Tower."

"You have one for every member? Man that must be a lot. I mean, your army is the royal guards, right?" Usopp asked.

"No. The Royal Guards is an elite group of sword fighters, proficient usually with speed and fencing. We serve the Royal family directly. There's not as many as you would think." The guard explained.

"But you estimated thousands of portraits." Franky countered.

"We were a vast kingdom and it is an estimate." The guard replied without skipping a beat. "But you are correct, over the years, the portraits do add up. There are some requirements to receive a portrait, a guard must either die in the service protecting the kingdom or retire after a lifetime of service to be honored in these halls." The guard explained. "But there is one gentleman that will never have his face looking over the royal family."

"Who would that be?" Zoro asked with a yawn, hoping that they would hurry along so he could have some booze.

"The Unsavory Gentleman."

"That guy again?" Usopp noted.

"Well with his title, there's gotta be something up." Sanji said.

"Yes. He defied his Queen and betrayed his kingdom which he swore to protect. Breaking his oath… it makes him worse than unsavory. He was scum." The guard said, though her voice held no feelings towards the matter, it sound more like she was repeating known knowledge.

"Yohoho… that is true. He was scum." Brook agreed. Luan nodded.

"I believe that's enough of a history lesson, I'm sure you are hungry." The guard said, breaking the silence.

"FOOD!" Most strawhats cheered.

They followed after the red haired guard down the hall lined with paintings. Along the way, Zoro noticed that Brook had stopped. Grunting, Zoro back tracked to the skeleton. The others had already disappeared around the corner. Zoro figured they would find them later. Brook was staring up at two paintings of two royal guards. In between the two paintings was a strangely empty spot where a painting should have been.

One of the paintings was of a guardsman with long, dark, braided hair. Upon his head was a captain's hat with a large puffy purple feather. The guard held out a black rose as if he was flirting with the painter.

Zoro guessed this guy had a personality like the love cook.

The other guard looked ridiculously like the twin guards that they had just met. He had the same burnt uniform, the painter had seen it fit to add smoke coming off his coat. Under each prospective eye was an upside down navy triangle.

"Did those guards out front have another twin or someth'n?" Zoro asked.

"No, these two men are older than me, I'm sure they're dead by now." Brook replied.

"Then those twins and their look alike?"

"Sir Dov was married and they did plan on having kids so I would assume that Lady Jemima and Sir Columba are his offspring." Brook figured.

"Huh."

Silence fell between the two but Brook quickly chuckled.

"Yoho, it's oddly fitting."

"Oh?"

"The empty space," Brook explained.

"Looks stupid if you ask me," Zoro stated frankly.

"Yes, most would say that but to those who knew these men, know that it would be even stranger to see two of them mixed with any other guard." Brook said.

"So who belongs in that spot?" Zoro asked, slightly annoyed that Brook was just beating around the bush.

"It would have probably held the portrait of the Unsavory Gentleman."

Zoro's eyebrow rose. "You pretty much said these three guys were inseparable, right?"

"Correct."

"The guy who's worse than scum had nakama?"

"You could say the people who could actually stand his attitude for short periods of time."

"Did you know them?"

Brook didn't reply right away. "…. Yes. They were my superiors."

"Were they strong?"

"Yohohoho, you can't fight the dead."

"Says the walking talking skeleton,"

"I had a second chance, not everyone gets that."

"There's some crazy shit out there in the world."

"But one devil fruit to one power."

Zoro chuckled. "Yet I still got to fight a zombie samurai!"

Brook opened his mouth to counter but came up with nothing. "Yohohoho, you have a point."

Zoro smirked smugly. "I'll never lose."

"Though your logic works, it won't happen. You can't come back from the dead." Brook reminded him.

"You're a strawhat, Brook. Look at all the impossible things we've done." Zoro said. "Come on, I want booze."

"Zoro, we came from that direction." Brook pointed out.

Once he got Zoro to go the right way, they made their way down the hall. Brook realized that they were going to get completely lost when they reached the first intersection. Brook had completely forgotten that they were not in the Royal Castle and was in completely unfamiliar territory. Zoro didn't hesitant like the skeleton and promptly turned left.

"Um, wait a second Zoro. We will get lost if we wander." Brook said.

"Luffy will eat all our food if we don't. Come on I have a good hunch." Zoro stated.

Brook didn't follow. If Zoro was always getting lost, it seemed unwise to let him lead. But if Zoro had such a terrible intuition then maybe Brook could experiment. If Zoro thought they should go one way, then the other direction would probably be more likely to go to their destination.

"Zoro, I believe it is the other way."

Zoro glanced over his shoulder. "Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Umm… well… this building has a similar design to the Royal Castle. If there was dining hall, it would be in this direction." Brook lied.

Zoro shrugged and followed after Brook. After several stairs winding upwards, they hit another fork that split off in different directions.

"So which way?" Zoro asked.

"I do not know…."

"Alright so we'll have to take a guess." Zoro stated. "Let's go this way."

"Wait Zoro!"

Zoro glanced back again, looking more irritated. "What?"

"I think it's the other way."

Zoro studied Brook suspiciously for a second before relenting, "Fine."

And so it went on. Zoro's mood darkened each time Brook made him turn around. They kept climbing upward, what was worse was that Zoro insisted that they ran. He didn't trust Luffy with their food at all. Finally, they stopped to take a breather at a set of huge doors.

"..Th.e..booze….huh.. better… huh..huh… be on the other side…" Zoro huffed and pushed the doors open.

They entered into a circular room with a single long rectangle wooden table in the center. Their nakama were seated at the table enjoying a large banquet. Luffy was happily tearing through the meat, talking amiably with a man at the head of the table. Hearing the door open, Chopper smiled.

"Zoro! Brook!" he greeted with a wave.

"It worked." Brook muttered.

Sanji looked up. "Got lost ya shitty marimo?"

"Put a sock in it, you damn love cook!" Zoro growled.

"We are eating with the King." Nami stressed.

Zoro snorted and sat down between Franky and Usopp, instantly he was guzzling down all the sake in sight. Chopper, who sat across the table, scolded him about his unhealthy intake. Brook chuckled and took the seat across from his captain, Luan was to his left and the King was to his right.

"So the winner has finally arrived! Fashionably late if I do say so myself." King Morgant laughed.

"Sorry, we lost our way." Brook apologized.

"Don't worry about it, man!" Morgant laughed and patted his shoulder non to gently. "It's pretty darn cool in my books!"

Brook tried his hardest not to let his jaw drop open. This was the man that was their acting King. No, Luan had said steward. Brook found it off putting at the lack of etiquette the current ruler displayed. He seemed to fit better with as mechanic in Jean's workshop. No wonder Luan was thankful to him but at the same time absolutely annoyed. There was something that bugged him though. There was something familiar about the man.

"My name is Brook and these are my nakama." He introduced.

"So I've met." Morgant said, grinning widely. "You play some awesome music, man!"

Brook nodded. "Thank you."

"Hey Granny, why didn't you tell me sooner about this guy? He's your own brother, right?" Morgant asked.

"I told you, we all thought that he was dead. There was no point." Luan said softly.

Morgant shrugged. "Anyways, it's so cool to see you up close, skeleton dude! Have you even looked at yourself in a mirror?" he asked excitedly.

"Yohoho! Yes indeed! I nearly di…." Brook trailed off as he looked at Luan then back at the king. "Well you understand the point."

"Man, that's so scary but cool!" Morgant awed. "To think there's such a awesome skeleton dude that plays music that makes a whole crowd go 'shh!'"

Usopp broke away from his conversation. "Skeleton dude? Could you be…"

Morgant smiled, standing up and struck a hero's pose. He spoke into his goblet as if it were a mic. "Ladies and gentleman, the Kingly Musical Contest and the Kingly Dinner for the Winner will be hosted by me! King Morgant! Your beloved announcer!"

"EEEHHHH!?" Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Nami, Brook, and Sanji screamed.

"Pipe down, what's the big deal?" Zoro grumbled.

Morgant laughed heartily and fell back into his chair. "That reaction is the beeessst!"

"I'm glad you find it amusing." Sanji said sarcastically.

Luffy laughed. "You were that guy! Man, you look different!"

Morgant grinned. "Of course! I was in disguise! Ah! Sorry for egging ya, skeleton dude! It was for the drama! The crowd loves it!"

"It's alright, no damage done after all." Brook said.

Luan shook her head but she still smiled, "Always the same."

"You're an ex-Royal Guardsmen right? Were you shocked when you saw Stella?" he asked.

"Stella?" Nami questioned.

"The first female to train and become a Royal Guard," Luan explained, taking a sip of her tea, "The red haired one."

"Aw! That wondrous red hair beauty is soooo terrific!" Sanji cooed.

"She's that super, huh?" Franky chuckled.

"She seemed mean." Luffy pouted.

"I was surprised to see woman in the guard, but, it has been over fifty years. Change is inevitable." Brook remarked.

Morgant laughed. "She's stricter than most commanding guardsmen but she's loyal and very skilled with a sword. One of the best!"

Zoro paused in his drinking. "Best, eh?" a spark of interest lit in his eyes.

"King Morgant, you managed to cure the disease of this island, right? Are you a doctor?" Chopper asked.

Morgant itched his cheek while saying. "I guess that's one way to look at it. Not to brag or anything…. But I'm kind of a genius! HAHAH!"

"Humble much?" Usopp muttered.

Nami smiled, "Geeze, what an airhead."

Chopper was absolutely amazed. "WHAT?! REALLY?!"

"REALLY!" Morgant stated happily.

"So… you'rrrrrrrrre…. smart?" Luffy finally thought out.

Morgant looked at Luffy, trying to figure out if he was really that slow. "Yeah, I'm really smart."

"COOL! Like Robin!"

Morgant leaned back into his chair. "To be honest, the disease is still out there. It has entirely poisoned the water supply on Crescend Major. It hit the island hard, even killing off most of the animals on Major. I can take care of an infected person, heck I can even cure a hamster, but my cure won't kill of the disease in the environment. It's been ten years, so in a way, my work isn't finished, not just yet." He said with a smile.

"I can help! I'm a doctor!" Chopper offered.

Morgant waved his hand. "It alright, it's my mission that I must complete…. WAIT! A reindeer as a doctor? That's awesome!"

"You jerk, just 'cause you actually said I'm a reindeer and that I'm awesome doesn't mean I happy or anything!" Chopper stated, but his goofy smile and wiggle dance sang a different tune.

"Yur super bro, no one can guess what Chopper is!" Franky laughed and did his 'Super' pose to emphasize.

"I noticed right away he was a reindeer." Sanji pointed out and took a deep inhale of his nicotine.

"Keep your comments to yourself cook, your damn voice is grating my nerves. I want to drink my booze in peace." Zoro ordered.

"Shitty swordsman, your face makes me want to rearrange it so I don't have to look at your ugly mug!"

"What was that dartbrow!?"

"You deaf too?"

"FIGHT!" Luffy cheered. The monster trio each received a burning lump from Nami's all-powerful punches.

"BEHAVE!" She scolded.

"Scary!" Chopper exclaimed.

"There goes any chance of visiting again. Should've known," Usopp said, shaking his head.

"You have some interesting nakama, skeleton dude! What do you guys do for a living? An entertainment troupe?" Morgant asked.

"As if," Nami muttered, thinking back to the time with old man Randolph and his troupe.

Luffy shook his head. "Nah, we're pirates."

Brook spit out the milk he had just drunk, everyone gave Luffy a look of disbelief. Luan stared at Luffy like he was an idiot. Morgant's lips formed into a nice shapely "O.""Oh, maybe I should've told the guards to stay." He said calmly.

"THAT'S YOUR ONLY REACTION!?" Usopp shouted.

"…. Well I don't have the same amount hate like some guys around here do." Morgant admitted, "Granny?"

"No comment for now." Luan said.

Morgant shrugged. "What the hell, it's a festival after all. If you guys obey the law and stay out trouble, I won't call you out on it."

Brook nodded his head. That was fair. "Thank you."

"Not a problem skeleton dude!"

"Oi King! Can ya tell me about this super tower?" Franky asked.

Morgant grinned, "Of course!"

"I am curious about that as well. Why did you decide to build a tower instead of a castle?" Sanji asked.

Morgant laughed sheepishly. "Well there was a budget and a castle took a lot of time and man power to build. Which we don't got a lot of." He smiled. "Course, I had the idea that the Royal Tower could give survivors a pinnacle of hope and security. With that height, we can see pirates coming from miles away."

"Sounds super but what happens when the tower's besieged?" Franky asked.

"The structure is something I personally designed to withstand a lot of force. The shell itself is super tough, plated it with seastone. Trust me. This baby can take a punch."

"Mm, must have cost a lot." Nami remarked.

"No cost is too small for this town!" Morgant stated.

"You're contradicting yourself." Usopp pointed out.

"AWESOME!" Luffy cheered, not really paying attention. He shoved his goblet into the air.

"KAMPIA!" He shouted.

"KAMPIA!"

The lovely meal continued through the evening. They went through several rounds of food. The main eaters were definitely Luffy, Brook, and Morgant. There was a lot of happy chatter and short performances from the strawhats. Even Zoro participated and showed off several moves. Luffy did plan to use third gear but Usopp stopped him, he actually ended up poofing into his small self when Usopp interrupted. Morgant was extremely entertained by mini Luffy. Brook played some merry music at the end of the meal while everyone rested their full stomachs. Brook had just finished his last song when the red headed guard entered. It took Brook a moment to remember her name.

Stella strode over to the dozing king, "Sir."

Morgant snorted and blinked hazily. "Wh..wh..ah?"

"Mr. Clark has arrived with tonight's and tomorrow's fireworks." She informed.

"Oh Clarkie…mh, you know what to do." He mumbled before snoring.

Stella shook her head. "Unbelievable." She turned to their guest. "I hope you had a good dinner."

Luffy sighed and patted his stomach. "That was great!"

"I'm glad you liked it. If you are ready, I'll escort you down to the entrance hall." Stella offered.

The strawhats gathered themselves and followed Stella through the meandering halls. They stopped in the hall that connected to the outside. There were several royal guardsmen by Jean and many big boxes. Stella strode over to the guards.

"Look alive!" she barked. "Get these fireworks to the top! We need to prepare for tonight's show!" she ordered.

"YES MA'AM!"

Jean smiled at them. "How was your dinner!?" he asked. There was a chorus of content 'yeses' amongst other things. "That's great! Hey do you mind waiting around for me?" Jean asked.

Luan raised an eyebrow, "Sunkiss."

"It gets creepy at night!" Jean defended himself.

"Awe, but I want to sleep." Luffy whined. Luan hit him over the head with cane.

"Owe!"

"Patience is a virtue. This a good lesson for you."

Luffy pouted. "Humph, oi Jaho, why doesn't Granny hit you?" he asked.

Jean pointed to himself. "Me? Wait, Jaho? My names Jean! Jah-ion!"

"Jahone," Luffy stated.

Jean hung his head in depressing defeat. "No."

Luffy noticed Bernwald. He had several crates of fireworks and was being directed where to go with them by Stella.

"OI! It's Wall-guy! Let's go say hi!" Luffy declared and ran to the other side.

"Luffy!" Nami shouted, but the captain kept running. Sighing in defeat, the navigator and her companions went after Luffy. Only Jean and Brook stayed standing where they were.

"You have some great friends." Jean remarked.

"Yoho, yes I was extremely fortunate that they found my ship."

Jean sighed with relief. "I'm glad I didn't break my promise."

Brook cocked his head. "What promise?"

"You know the promise." Jean urged without giving any hints.

"I cannot recall a promise that would relate to me being dead." Brook stated bluntly.

Jean gasped in horror. "You don't remember. That hurts. I made this promise to you on that day."

Brook briefly drifted back into his memories. He recalled a dark cloudy day, looking out over the city. Brook could only remember deep and utter sorrow swallowing his heart into a never ending void of terror. Jean, as a young man, stood beside him, delivering the most ludicrous promises he could ever make.

"Yes… I remember it." Brook said finally.

Jean smiled again. "That's great. While we're on the topic of promises, I'm almost found a way."

This time, Brook was surprised. "You… found a way?"

Jean grinned. "The whole world's going to tremble! Thanks to the Great Jean Clark!" he declared.

"Of course!" Brook laughed in teasing tone.

"Come by the shop tomorrow, I'll show you what I have." Jean offered.

Brook nodded. "I'll look forward to it."

"Come you shitty skeleton! We're heading out!" Sanji called.

"Wait! You're not waiting for me?!" Jean called.

Luan shook her. "This is going to take too long. I'll see you tomorrow, sunkiss."

"You're not going to wait?!" Jean cried and sank to his knees. "She's so mean. Why did you leave me alone with her, Brook?"

Brook chuckled, showing a little guilt. "Sorry."

~~BINK~*~SAKE~~

Location: Luan's house
Time: Just before sunrise
Current Year

Brook awoke the next morning, sandwiched between Franky's shoulder and a snoring Luffy. Brook glanced out the window. The first light of the day was just peaking over the horizon. He then inspected his nakama, who slept amongst pillows and blankets on the couch and ground. Chopper was sleeping on Zoro's head and Usopp was using Sanji as a pillow. Nami was in the guest bedroom so she could have some privacy.

After their dinner with the King, Luan offered to host them at her house. Most of the inns were full because of the festival and it had been late already so the strawhats agreed. Brook was happy that he was near Luan. He hadn't seen her in so long. Sonny was beaming with excitement but Mona wasn't the happiest about the arrangement. Still the former helped them set up their nest of pillows and blankets for the night.

Slowly, Brook eased himself out between his captain and shipwright. He grabbed Soul Solid and crept out of the living room and down the hall. He passed by the door to the kitchen when somebody spoke.

"Good morning." Luan said from her seat at the table.

"Luan!" Brook exclaimed but quieted his voice so he won't wake the others. "Why are you up so early, little moon?"

"It's my house, I can do what I want and I should say the same to you." Luan said and took a sip of her morning tea before staring at Brook harshly. "Due to deplorable health situations, Crescend Major is restricted from every single citizen and non-registered tour guides. If you go, you'll have to be careful."

Brook nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He paused for a moment. "I'll be back."

Luan smiled slightly, "Seems like you always do."

Brook left from Luan's sight and went out the door. The streets seemed so empty and ghostly now that everyone was tucked away in their beds. Brook traveled down the road, listening to every sound that he could hear.

But there was none.

No sound of waves crashing down on the sandy beach, no birds singing. Nothing moved.

The only sound was of the click-clack of Brook's black dress shoes hitting the stones that paved the streets. It felt so hollow, as if this was not a town for the living, but of the dead. It was troubling, it reminded the musician of the deathly feeling that he felt for fifty years. Brook opened up his skull and pulled out the tone dial.

For fifty years, this recording was the manifestation of his hope and reason to live. This represented his duty to his friends, yelling at him to not succumb to despair. It told him to get up and find Laboon, give that poor whale its family's finally sendoff. The song they poured their hearts into so that little whale could hear them one last time, to show their love had never faded. Brook was the messenger. He was not allowed to give up. If Brook did, he would then cause more sorrow to his late crew and Laboon. The tone dial reminded him, there was family waiting for him.

"You won't die! You got that! Not before me!"

Jean's promise echoed in Brook's head. He had been so young at the time but had seen a lifetime of horrors. Brook himself had seen a fair share of terrible things. Brook held the tone dial closer to where his heart should have been.

An infamous strong gust of chilling wind breezed through the streets, rattling the bells over every door. The air rang with chiming music. Brook's whole form shuddered when the wind passed through his body. The ghostly, cold winds never really bothered him before, but maybe that's because the supposed spirits of the dead had never actually passed through him. Brook decided not to dwell on the matter, knowing he was probably going to scare himself.

A small body rammed into his side as the musician walked by an alley. Brook gasped and fumbled around, in attempt to not drop his tone dial. He did manage to grip the dial firmly and replace his footing. The boy that had run into him though, was on his butt, rubbing his head.

"My, are you all right?" Brook asked. The boy looked up, with a pouting face. A face Brook recognized. "You're that boy from the park." He recalled.

The boy jumped to his feet. "You should watch where you're going!" he stated.

"It's rude to point." Brook scolded lightly. "And you ran into me. Good thing I'm light on my feet."

The boy studied him suspiciously. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked.

"Enjoying a nice refreshing walk, how about you? You should be getting your sleep." Brook replied.

The boy crossed his arms in defiance. "I'm old enough to stay out as late as I want to!"

"All right," Brook said and opened his head.

The boy's mouth dropped open. "Holy sh-!"

"Language," Brook chided and placed his tone dial in his skull. "There."

The boy studied Brook thoughtfully before saying. "Your… head…. It's a safe place, right?"

"Why yes indeed! My treasure is always on my mind! Yohoho! But I don't have a brain!" Brook laughed merrily.

The boy quickly detached a small square bag from his belt and held it up to Brook.

"Please, can you keep this safe!?" he requested. "It's something very important, you don't have to keep for very long! Just a little while! Please, it's… it's like the One Piece to me!" the boy declared.

Brook was taken aback that the rude boy was practically begging to him. What could possibly be in the bag? But the way the boy described it also made Brook's non-existent heart soften.

"I'll take good care of your treasure." Brook said, holding out his hand.

The boy retracted his arm a bit. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"If you don't want me to," Brook replied smoothly.

Satisfied, the boy handed the bag over and watched Brook place it in his head before genuinely smiling.

"Thanks old man!" the boy said and bowed gracefully before running off.

Brook watched him go until the boy's blonde head ducked out of sight. Brook turned in the opposite direction and continued his own stroll, humming Bink's Sake along the way.

~~BINK~*~SAKE~~

Location: Luan's house
A more reasonable time in the morning…
Current Year

As the morning progressed, more of the strawhats woke up and now all sat around the living room. The household was made to accommodate four or five people, but Sanji managed to cooked their food and serve everyone in the living room. Mona warned them not to get any food on furniture and Sanji enforced that. No food fights started that morning. Luan and her family ate with them. Sonny was absolutely the happiest little child there was, asking the crew so many questions. During breakfast, Franky noticed Sanji sulking.

"Sanji-bro, what's up, you look like a bag of gloom." Franky asked.

"I made tea but Robin-chawn isn't here to enjoy her morning tea!" he wailed and plopped back into the cushions. "Where's my Robin-chawn?" he whined.

"Oh, do you think she stayed out all night?" Usopp asked.

"She probably found a hotel or something." Zoro dismissed.

"You have another friend?" Sonny asked happily.

Chopper nodded. "That's right, she's our archeologist."

"What's she like?" Sonny asked.

Chopper pondered for a moment. "Well… she's… um.. very… mor…"

"Like this." Usopp cut in, before his face became impartially calm. "It was nice that the king didn't execute us on the spot."

"THAT'S JUST LIKE ROBIN!" Luffy laughed, bits of meat spitting from his mouth.

Mona was appalled by his manners. "Oh my…."

Nami gave her a sympathy look. "Sorry, but at least Brook isn't here too…. Where is Brook?"

"He went on an early morning walk." Luan replied swiftly.

Nami stared at Luan, not liking how fast she answered, "Alright… anyways his manners are terrible! You'd think since he came from such a sophisticated life that he would have at least some decency." Nami huffed.

"Like asking you about your panties?" Luffy questioned causing a vein to pop on Nami's head.

"Yes, Luffy." She seethed.

"I'm surprised, he isn't that bad." Luan remarked.*

"That bad? You've seen how he acts." Nami pointed out.

Luan sipped on her tea. "I've seen worse, in fact, we're all surprised that he didn't turn out as bad as his mentor."

"His mentor… do you mean that Angus fellow?" Franky asked.

Luan smiled fondly. "Yes."

"Come on bad could he be? Didn't you say the worst of the worst was the Unsavory Gentleman?" Zoro said nonchalantly.

"True, but Angus was the Unsavory Gentleman, so he was the worst of the worst." Luan replied.

The strawhats paused and just stared at her silently. Seven pair of eyes as wide as dinner plates just stared. Mona decided this was a good time to leave to do the dishes, she knew how this conversation would end.

Luna raised a slim eyebrow. "Didn't you know?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"I see…"

"Tell the story Granny, the one that you always tell me!" Sonny demanded, "The story about the Humming Gentleman and his music!"

"Yes…" Luan sighed. "Where to begin…" she said thoughtfully.

"The beginning," Chopper suggested.

Luan smiled a bit. "I supposed that would do. I should start how I met Brook, shouldn't I?"

~~BINK~*~SAKE~~

Brook stood outside one of the ruins of a house. It was right by the shores of Soniaee Lake. The roof was gone, the glass windows were shattered, and the door had rotted away but Brook remembered it fondly. It was the home he grew up in.

~~BINK~*~SAKE~~

"I was probably the person to ever see Brook's beautiful eyes." Luan said wistfully.

~~BINK~*~SAKE~~

85 years ago...

Young Brook walked down the halls, following a beautiful melody. From the sound, he guessed it was a violin being played at the moment. He didn't recognize the piece right away, but he was sure he would get it.

Pushing open a door, the music became much loud for a moment before everything went quiet. The player had noticed his arrival, and she stood there, in the middle of the room, watching him carefully. She did not move, not even to put down the violin. Brook remained silent, as quiet as tears streamed ran down the woman's face. She parted her lips gently.

"Brook. What are you doing up so late?"

Brook did not reply. He couldn't. All he could say was,

"Mamma."

It's nice to be writing again. I am determined to finish this story no matter how long it take so hang in there.

At this point in the story, we're getting into flashback territory. I'll need to review everything to make sure the times and years are correct before posting the chapters.

A/Note:

* ""I'm surprised, he isn't that bad." Luan remarked." = For this story's headcannon, Brook's bad habits (ex: Table manners) were picked up during his time as a Rumbar Pirate. His perversions were sparked by his mentor though.

-DigitalGuardian