Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece; that right belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
Hello, Aliahra here. Thank you for reading my story, warning you now, it'll be a long one (in terms of amount of chapters, actual length of Chapters-Not so much). Here's the chapter.
Chapter One-Brook
Brook has always had the same dream whenever he falls asleep. He wakes on a ship that sails on an endless blue sea. The weather is always the same on the ship: Cloudless. While the sun did move across the sky on the ship, and there were sunrises and sunsets, there was never any clouds in the sky. It was a little harder to tell when it was night time though, but he concluded that there are never any clouds in the sky during then too.
While growing up, Brook's always heard of what other people dream about, about how it's always different and how they can never seem to remember it clearly. He could always remember everything that happens in his dreams clearly. Sometimes he even wonders if he was actually asleep and dreaming about all of this. He never dwells on this possibility long. He doesn't want to be alone for all eternity.
Sometimes he wonders if it is actually a nightmare. Sure he never wakes up in a cold sweat like other kids do, but it does sometimes worry him. It made him hate being alone, and he eventually sort out something that could make it feel less lonely on the Ship. That is how he found his passion for music. One time when he was working into the night learning the violin, he found out that anything he fell asleep holding was brought onto the Ship with him. He just needs to be holding onto it again when he falls asleep on the boat to bring it back though. It was scary when he couldn't find his bow and it turned out to be on the Ship.
Brook's days on the Ship were often spent wondering around aimlessly; maybe he would read something in the large library or swim in the pool he found under the deck. After he learnt of music, he started to practice his music on the Ship; he filled the atmosphere with his music and made it feel less lonely. He ended up practicing a lot on the Ship, and grew to be very good at music. Most had thought his natural talent was the larger cause of his skill but they didn't know it was actually mostly his hard work on the Ship.
When he learned fencing he made sure to practice that on the Ship too. He grew to be quite skilled with his blade. This talent has saved his life many times. As well as ended others.
When he left his task force for the life of a pirate he still dreamt of the Ship. It became his constant in life; he could always expect to fall asleep on his hammock in the barracks to wake up on the Ship before falling asleep again on the Ship to wake up in his hammock. When they had to leave Laboon behind, he still had the crew and the Ship was still there. When Captain Yorki had to leave with half of the crew, the rest of the crew and the Ship were still there. When the rest of the crew died leaving him alone to finish the song, he still fell asleep and awoke on the Ship. When his soul returned and re-entered what was left of his body, he could still fall asleep and wake up on the Ship. Even though he was a skeleton and no longer really needed it.
Brook grew to love it when he could fall asleep. The cloudless sky was a welcome reprieve from the constant fog of the Florian Triangle. It was relieving that there was always an empty book he could write in to record his time with the Rumbar Pirates, even if no one might read it. And the fact that he had stored most of his precious items in there such as pictures, logbooks and musical instruments, but not the tone dial that held his crew's last song however, he kept that safe in his skull.
Brook was always alone on the Ship. And he had honestly believed that he would be the only person to be on there. However, he was proven wrong two years into his isolation in the Florian Triangle. He had recently eaten one of the tangerines growing on the tangerine trees on the Ship when he heard something he never thought he would hear on the Ship.
A newborn baby crying.
He rushed as fast as he could to the grassy deck, wondering what was going on, and saw him; a male fishman baby, crying out and wrapped tightly in a blue blanket.
To say the least, Brook was shocked, not only because of his race but the fact that he was here. At another loud cry from the nameless baby shook him from his paralysis and he carefully picked up the baby. The baby stopped crying and stared up at Brook. Happy gurgles came from the baby as he smiled up at Brook. And Brook, even without lips to smile, smiled back.
He wasn't alone any more.
He now had another reason to want to sleep more. The baby, which he found is named Jimbei, helped to give him the one thing he craved for the last two years: some company and a change.
He was probably the best birthday present Brook could have asked for at that point, even though he was a day early.
Coming Up Next: Jimbei
Jimbei has now been added to the story. Sorry to those who lost the vote.
Also, I'm putting ages and age differences of the Straw Hats after the time skip here, it was easier for me to calculate.
When they are reunited two years have past, so:
Brook: 90, April 3
fourty-three years/eleven months/twenty-nine days
Jimbei: 46, April 2
nine years/eleven months/seven days
Franky: 36, March 9
five years/ten months/twenty-eight days
Robin: 30, February 6
nine years/zero months/twenty-four days
Sanji: 21, March 2
zero years/eight months/nine days
Zoro: 21, November 11
zero years/six months/twenty-two days
Nami: 20, July 3
zero years/eight months/twenty-nine days
Usopp: 19, April 1
zero years/one month/four days
Luffy: 19, May 5
two years/seven months/nineteen days
Chopper: 17, December 24 (Hey, that's Christmas eve!)