"Dead Bones" Brook

"Hmm..." 

"Too delicious!"

"Why didn't you think the food these guys cooked was delicious before?"

Time flew by. 

In the blink of an eye, it was already noon. Zombies with grandmaster cooking skills had already prepared a sumptuous lunch for them - BBQ, dishes, desserts, juices, drinks... The aroma was tantalizing.

It wasn't just the two big shots, William himself and Dr. Hogback. Even Perona, the Ghost Princess, couldn't restrain herself and gobbled it all up. However, within a short time, she and Hogback were unable to eat any more. 

"My belly is swollen."

All Perona could do was watch William feasting there. Moreover, a lot of food was being constantly served.

That exaggerated appetite was jaw-dropping.

"Grrr...grrr..." 

All of a sudden, William's bulging belly flattened down in an instant, and then he continued to enjoy the food, taking in the energy and nutrients to supplement the consumption caused by his high-intensity training.

On regular days when he wasn't in a rush, although he ate an astonishing amount, he didn't devour everything but rather enjoyed the delicious food. This was also one of his hobbies in life.

Wasn't it just for enjoyment that people lived? He worked so hard to make progress, become stronger, and control his own destiny. Wasn't it just to better enjoy life?

He would not become an ascetic. The will to work two hundred times beyond ordinary people and practice hard for the sake of ambition, for the sake of becoming stronger - he did not hesitate to risk his life, had the courage to risk everything, the madness of putting everything on the line...

He had all of these qualities. But there was no need to push himself so hard and become a complete slave to strength. When it was time to enjoy, he wouldn't treat himself badly.

"Every time, Sir William's belly feels like a bottomless pit!" Perona complained.

These days, similar scenes had happened so many times that she was used to it.

"Having mastered the return of life, it's like eating as much as you want without fear of getting fat!" Dr. Hogback, who was almost unable to walk, hugged his round belly and bared his teeth enviously.

"By the way, Perona..."

After swallowing a large piece of bone-in meat and taking a sip of juice, William remembered something and asked Perona directly, "Have you found that Brook?"

These days, he had been letting the opponent use the Ghost Fruit's ability at their leisure, sending the ghost outside to find the whereabouts of Brook, the "Dead Bones."

"I found him. I just found him early this morning. I've been letting the ghost of negativity keep an eye on him!" Perona said confidently from the side. "That guy is right in front of our ship's course!"

"But Mr. William, is it really necessary to recruit that guy?" Dr. Hogback was full of confusion and said with a strange smile, "Hiss~hiss~hiss~, if you ask me, just plunder his shadow. That's already..."

In his opinion, Brook's strength was mediocre. There was nothing worth recruiting him for. It would be better to just plunder his shadow and resurrect a zombie general. After all, the corpses of those zombie generals had now been perfectly repaired by him. Once the implanted shadow was resurrected, its strength would be far greater than the zombie generals created by Moria last time.

"The power of the Underworld Fruit is pretty good..." 

After destroying the last pizza, William burped with satisfaction. Taking the tissue handed over by Perona and wiping the greasy corners of his mouth, he said with a faint smile, "It's just that the guy hasn't realized this yet and hasn't been able to use his abilities!"

The most important thing was that this "Skull Jokester" Brook was not completely without potential. And he was also a musician, which at least could relieve boredom during the boring sailing journey. If trained well, he could still become a core member of William's own team in the future.

"Perona, go and command the zombie soldiers to sail the boat and go directly there!"

"Hehe~hehe~hehe~, good!"

...

"Yo ho ho ho~~~Yo ho ho ho~~~" 

"Bringing Bink's wine to you~~~"

Far away, a burst of singing came from the coast. Some zombie soldiers vaguely heard it.

"Shadow is back, I'm so happy..."

The rudder of a ship had been destroyed and it was drifting on a pirate ship. A skeleton with an afro and dress was amusing himself there: "Tilted at forty-five degrees——"

In various poses, looking at the shadow under his feet, he was full of joy. But soon, his whole body was shaken violently, and the skull's jaw almost fell to the ground.

"Is that... the Thriller Bark ship of terror!?"

Looking at the huge island ship slowly emerging from the fog that blocked out the sun, becoming increasingly clear, Brook was a little shocked, "Are those guys coming to steal my shadow again?"

"No...we are not here to take away your shadow!"

Suddenly, a chuckle echoed in Brook's ears. It shocked him all over. 

"Who is it?" He immediately drew out his staff and sword, looking warily towards the direction the sound came from.

He didn't know when it started, but a tall and heroic young figure wearing casual clothes appeared there. He was sitting on the bow of the boat, looking at Brook with a smile.

"Who are you?"

Brook's eyes widened. This tall young man was undoubtedly a real person, completely different from his impression of the three weirdos and zombies under Moria.

"Don't be nervous, I don't mean any harm..." William was smiling. He did not hide his identity, introducing himself, "When we first met, my name is Orbach William, and I am the new owner of the Thriller Bark ship... Your shadow was the one who escaped from the zombies and came back after I killed that guy Gecko Moria!"

"In a sense, I am still your benefactor!"

"What?" 

Brook was shocked. He looked at the impossibly young William in front of him in disbelief. "Did you defeat Moria? Released my shadow?"

"Don't believe it?"

William tilted his head and smiled slightly. The shadow under his feet was directly separated from him, and he stood upright. As if it had a sense of life, it transformed into a dark figure with the same silhouette.

"This is?"

This was an amazing scene. Brook's pupils shrank sharply, and he was a little frightened.

"As you can see..." William said with a smile, "After killing Moria, his ability was unexpectedly reborn on the Thriller Bark, and I got it!"

"Now, I am the new Shadow Fruit user!"

"Hiss--" 

Brook gasped and lost his voice in shock. "You got Moria's ability?"

He never expected such a coincidence to happen to the other party. It was incredible.

"I already know your identity..." William looked at the disbelieving Brook and said straight to the point, "Brook, the user with the ability of the Underworld Fruit ...do you want to join my team?"

"I believe you must have been troubled by being trapped in this sea for decades, right? As long as you are willing to work for me, I can take you out of this sea and continue your adventure!"

"Really?"

Brook was shaken all over. His eyes widened as he excitedly stepped forward and grabbed William, saying, "I am willing, I am willing to join you!" 

"As long as you can take me outside, to the Twin Capes at the entrance of the Grand Line, to complete the agreement with Laboon... No matter what the conditions are, I promise you!"

(end of chapter)