THE 8TH MEMBER

A nearly blank white page holds only one small rectangular panel in the lower right. Inside the panel a simple cartoon bear-like face with round eyes, stitched forehead, tongue sticking out, and a fluffy collar stares upward with a cheerful expression.

Amid the ruins of a massive stone fortress, Brook’s voice rings out in song. “WAHAHA-HAHA! LET’S DO ONE MORE!! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO SING ANYMORE!I” Musical notes drift through the air. “HEEEY, SKELETON~~~” “YOHOHOHO…” A close-up shows Brook holding a Tone Dial. “LONG AGO, MY NAKAMA AND I USED TO SING THIS SONG WITH LOTS OF GUSTO. THIS SONG WAS… THE RUMBAR PIRATES’ ‘LAST GREAT NUMBER.’” Luffy smiles nearby as Brook continues, “WHEN I WAS ALONE, LOST IN THAT DARK, DARK SEA OF FOG FOR SO MANY YEARS… I THOUGHT OF THIS SONG COUNTLESS TIMES…”

Brook’s memories play in swirling panels of the Rumbar Pirates singing together. “THIS SONG… AND ONLY THIS SONG… MADE ME FEEL LIKE THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE ‘ALIVE’ OTHER THAN MYSELF. ALL ALONE ON MY HUGE SHIP…” The Tone Dial plays on. Brook suddenly shouts with shock, “EHHHHHH!!I SO THAT REALLY DOES OPEN!!I” as the device activates with a loud “GACHAN” and musical notes. “SEAL~~~!!!” Luffy and others react with wide-eyed surprise. Brook finishes, “HOWEVER, JUST TODAY I MADE UP MY MIND… THAT I WILL SEAL… THIS TONE DIAL.”

Brook sits at the grand piano inside the ruined hall, his skeletal fingers resting on the keys. He speaks with quiet resolve: "AREN'T ONLY FOR THE SAKE OF MY REMINISCING ANYMORE!! IT'S FOR... THE SAKE OF DELIVERING THAT SONG TO LABOON!!!" A voice answers from off-panel, "YO." Brook continues, "I UNDERSTAND THAT LABOON IS HEALTHY AND WAITING FOR ME... MY SHADOW HAS ALSO RETURNED, AND I HAVE ESCAPED FROM THAT DEVILISH SEA...!!!" The scene shifts to the crew's reactions. Franky, wide-eyed, says, "BUT YOU KNOW, LUFFY-SAN," while a bandaged skeleton figure adds, "HONESTLY, I EVEN LOST SIGHT OF HOPE. THERE WASN'T A SINGLE EASY DAY." In a dramatic close-up, the skeleton Brook clutches his face and cries out, "AM GLAD I'M ALIVE!!!" The crew reacts with shock and joy; Nami smiles softly while others stare in disbelief. Someone shouts, "THIS DAY, IT FINALLY CAME!!!" Brook replies, "BUT OF COURSE. I'M REALLY GLAD I'M ALIVE!!!"

The crew erupts in shock and excitement. "HE JOINED!!!" "JUST LIKE THAT~~~~!!" Franky lies dramatically across the piano keys, legs in the air, and asks, "YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT!! AH, IS IT ALL RIGHT IF I BECOME YOUR NAKAMAI" Brook, seated at the piano, turns with a surprised expression. The rest of the Straw Hats react wildly—Usopp and Chopper scream in the background while Nami smiles knowingly. Franky continues his over-the-top pose as the crew processes the sudden addition of the skeletal musician.

The crew celebrates wildly. Brook is tossed into the air as everyone cheers, "MR. MUSICIAN, DEAD-AND-ONLY-BONES-LEFT MUSICIAN. THE MUSICIAN WE SOUGHT AFTER. BUT WELCOME~~ MR. MUSICIAN!! HOORAY!" Brook laughs, "HE'S FUNNY~~~~!! YES!! I'M ALL BONES~~~~!!! IT'S A GOOD THING THAT HE'S LIGHT!" Nami wipes a tear, saying, "I GET IT..." while others shout, "WE DON'T GET IT EITHER, BUT CHEERS!!" In the next panel, Nami and Robin stand together as the party continues. Nami wonders, "JUST WHY, EXACTLY, DID WE PICK UP SOMEONE LIKE HIM...I" Robin replies calmly, "WELL, WHATEVER. THANKS." The background shows the crew dancing and raising mugs in celebration.

Brook sits alone against the brick wall, tears streaming as he remembers Laboon. A massive whale silhouette appears with the word "LABOON." The crew flies through the air in panic as Brook fires a shot, yelling, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT~~~~!I" Someone screams, "GYAHHAHAHAHAHA!!! 45 DEGREES!!!" The scene transitions to the sea. The Going Merry sails forward under a bright sun as narration reads, "CIRCLING THE WORLD... WITH YOU AS THE GOAL!! ISN'T THAT RIGHT...I THAT'S WHY... I WON'T TURN BACK!!!" Brook's voice echoes, "I... WON'T TURN BACK!! WE'VE ONLY FACED FORWARD ON THIS JOURNEY OF OURS... BECAUSE THAT IS DEFINITELY THE ONLY PATH WE CAN MEET YOU WITH!" The final panels show the ship continuing onward with the words "FORWARD!!" and "I WILL SURELY COME TO SEE YOU."

A massive black shape erupts from the sea with a thunderous roar. Laboon's enormous form towers over the water, mouth wide open as he bellows, "BUOOOO OOOO!!!" Small panels show reactions from nearby characters. Someone asks, "WHAT'S UP, LABOON...I" Another notes, "YOU'RE IN UNUSUALLY... HIGH SPIRITS TODAY..." A musical note accompanies a smaller "BUOO OOO" sound as Laboon continues his excited cries.

Sanji stares in shock at a wanted poster. "A WANTED POSTER!I YOU HAVE A BOUNTY!I" Brook dramatically reveals his past: "LONG AGO, I WAS THE CONVOY LEADER OF A BATTLE FLEET FOR A KINGDOM. LATER, I BECAME THE CAPTAIN OF THE RUMBAR PIRATES, WHERE I WAS KNOWN AS THE 'MUSICIAN SWORDSMAN.' MY NICKNAME IS 'HUMMING' BROOK!! I HAVE A BOUNTY OF 33,000,000 BERI!!! I AM NOTORIOUS!! FORGIVE ME FOR NOT MENTIONING THIS EARLIER!! I AM KNOWN AS DEAD BONES BROOK!!" Luffy grins widely as Brook declares, "FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, I PLEDGE MY LIFE TO CAPTAIN STRAWHAT LUFFY!! MAY I NOT BE EXCESS BAGGAGE TO YOU!!" Brook laughs, "YOHO-HOHOHO." The crew watches as Brook adds, "I SHALL WHOLEHEARTEDLY LEND YOU MY FLESH AND BONES!!!" A massive explosion rocks the background with the sound "MYO O O O O O!!" and the cry "ALL RIGHT, ONE MORE TOAST!!!"

Two days later at the graveyard, Chopper and Usopp thank Franky. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, FRANKY-SAN, USOPP-SAN!!" A grand tombstone shaped like the Rumbar Pirates' ship reads "RUMBAR P" with musical notes and the inscription "RUMBAR PIRATES." Brook stands before it, declaring, "SUCH A SPLENDID GRAVE...!!!! I PLANTED THE FLOWERS!!" Franky laughs, "DON'T WORRY, IT'S NOTHING. SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS EASY, UHAHAHA. MY DESIGNS ARE THE BEST, AREN'T THEYI" Brook plays his violin and says, "IT'S CALLED THE THOUSAND SUNNY, SO CALL IT THAT." The crew admires the grave as Brook notes, "COULD TAKE SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT OF REMAINS. THERE WAS NO WAY THAT LION-CHAN..."

Brook stands silhouetted on a hill. "IN THEIR NATIVE SOIL... PERHAPS THEY WILL BE ABLE TO REST..." He reflects, "ODDLY ENOUGH, THRILLER BARK... WAS AN ISLAND THAT CAME FROM OUR HOMELAND, WEST BLUE." The crew gathers at the Rumbar Pirates' grave. Brook plays his violin with a sharp "ZAKU!!" sound. Someone asks, "ARE YOU ALL RIGHT NOWI" Brook replies, "AHH... YOU... SURPRISED ME." Luffy yawns, "YEAH, I OVERSLEPT A LITTLE..." Brook smiles and says, "WELL, BROOK, WE'RE GOING ON AHEAD."

At the graveyard, Brook kneels with hands clasped as a skull-faced figure looms behind him. A voice murmurs, "..." Brook reflects, "Luffy is the man who will become the Pirate King!!!" He adds, "While we're at it, please allow me to hold a service for the dead katana, 'Yubashiri.' That is..." A quiet "..." lingers. Later, Brook stands tall in his top hat and coat, declaring, "That's right. I have joined the crew." Zoro sits nearby, responding, "Ah... nothing..." Brook muses, "HmmmI Is that so...I Guess you have bad luck..." Zoro replies, "HmmI" Brook suddenly bursts out, "Yohoho!! That's what I thought!! I'll give it my best until I die!! Ah!! But I'm already dead!! Yohoho!!" Zoro smiles, "So, we've got a pretty good crewI"

The Straw Hats prepare to depart from the ruined island. Someone calls out, "You guys sure are hasty, setting sail already." A small figure asks, "Huh!I Zoro, you already took the bandages off!I" Zoro answers, "Yeah, it was hard to move. They were there so that you couldn't move." The crew cheers, "Yeeee-aaaah!!!" and "On to our next adventure!!" Franky shouts, "All right!! Zoro's already up!! So, shall we head to sea!!I" Usopp growls at Franky, "It's so difficult to part from you guys." Franky replies, "How about I marry youI" Usopp retorts, "I don't think we'll ever be able to repay you!!" Franky says, "Thank you for taking such good care of us!!" and "You guys take Brook's ship. I fixed the sail and rudder already." The crew agrees, "Let's party for another two or three days!!" As they celebrate, Sanji dreams aloud, "I wonder if we'll be able to see the mermaids' panties..." while Luffy yells, "Oh, the beautiful mermaids!! I want to play with them!!" Brook panics, "Hey, hey, don't be stupid!!" and Franky adds, "There should be some interesting people there---!!!" Luffy roars, "We can't!! Next up is Fish-Man Island!! I'm looking forward to it!!"

The crew discusses mermaids. Brook sings, "♪ Mermaids, mermaids ♪" while Nami wonders, "Don't they have the lower halves of fishI" A panel shows the beauty of mermaids surpassing even the Pirate Empress Hancock. Sanji and Brook react wildly to the idea of mermaids without panties. Lola appears, saying, "We weren't heading there; I was born in the New World!" Nami asks, "Lola, aren't you guys heading to the New WorldI" Lola replies, "Mermaids are the best!!" A masked man adds, "Ahh, three years ago, they passed through here!" Chopper questions, "Why do you guys know so muchI" Lola hands over a card, "Oh!! You should be happy, you know! Captain Lola's mama is an amazing pirate!!!" She explains, "It's Mama's 'vivre card.' Because you and I are sworn sisters, it's just for you, okayI" Luffy receives it, saying, "Take good care of it. It'll definitely be useful later." Lola notes, "My mama is a pirate, too...!!" as the card is labeled "PAPER".

Lola explains the vivre card: "If you bring some nail clippings into a shop, they will mix them up and make them into a special sheet of paper... Which is called 'the paper of life' or 'vivre cards.'" She continues, "This isn't a normal piece of paper. Even if it gets wet or burned, it'll still be fine!" Nami asks about the New World, and Lola answers, "Vivre cards are only available in the New World, Captain Lola." The card twitches, "Zurs... zurs..." Lola demonstrates, "When you are going away, you tear it with a friend or relative." She hands a piece to Nami, saying, "If you are in trouble some time, you can follow this and meet up with Mama." Nami signs it, "Pretty convenient, isn't itI Here, I'll sign this vivre card." Chopper exclaims, "Wow, that's amazing! Are there a lot of those...I" Lola replies, "In other words, I always know in which direction my mama is." The scene shows the sea with Thriller Bark in the distance as Lola adds, "No matter where you are in the world, the card will pull towards its partner. Even though I can't tell how far away she is!!"

Luffy stares at a small burning piece of paper in shock. A man in a wide hat and goggles smiles and says, "THIS PAPER WILL LET US MEET AGAIN." Luffy replies, "YEAH, I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT." Nami asks, "MIGHT HAVE ONE OF THOSE PAPERS ALREADY. THAT WHITE PAPER YOU GOT FROM ACE... WAS THE SAME, RIGHTI" Luffy grins and confirms, "YEAH, HE'S MY OLDER BROTHER." The man explains the paper's power: "DISPLAYS THE LIFE FORCE OF THE HOLDER!!" Nami questions its importance. Suddenly the Vivre Card shrinks and burns faster. Luffy panics, "WAIT! LET ME SEE THAT. HERE IT IS. SO THAT'S WHAT IT MEANT. WHATI IT'S A LITTLE BURNT AND GETTING SMALLER." A large panel shows the scorched card crumbling in a giant hand as narration declares, "THIS PERSON'S LIFE... IS ALREADY... FADING!!" Luffy and Nami both scream, "EHHH!!I"

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