Summary:
Aboard the Thousand Sunny, Brook tells his story of how he was a musician before he was killed. However, his spirit was able to revive his skeleton with the power of Yomi Yomi no Mi. He also tells that his shade was stolen so he can’t be out in the open sun. A ghost suddenly appears in the kitchen and the straw pirates find that they have been targeted by the Thriller Bark ghost island that found them.
Brook is aboard the Thousand Sunny, greeting everyone and referring to himself as “Just Dead Bones” Brook. Chopper is seen with a cross. Brook approaches Robin, praising her beauty and asking if he would like to see her panties. Nami comically hits him and calls him a perverted skeleton. Usopp gathers materials to exorcise the devil and begins an attempt to exorcise the evil spirit – Brook. Brook asked where the evil spirit was, and Usopp and Chopper comically replied that it was Brook. While on the ship, Brook mentioned that he hadn’t had anything to eat in so long and asked for milk. Luffy called him “Korobokle” and Brook corrected him. Brook asked what Luffy’s name was and was told. Luffy then asked Brook what it was and Zoro comically asked why they didn’t ask those questions when they first met. Sanji prepared dinner, which everyone enjoyed heartily.
After dinner, Brook told the crew that he was a user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi Devil Fruit. Brook told them that he died once years ago and the Yomi Yomi No Mi gives its user the ability to be resurrected. He told them that he was once a pirate like them (which excited Luffy) and was aboard the ship they found him on. He went on to tell them that his crew came to the Sea of Devils, but were defeated by a stronger pirate crew, killing his crewmates and himself. While he was alive, Brook explained to them that he simply couldn’t swim. After death, however, his soul returned from the underworld. His soul was unable to find his body in time due to the fog that makes navigation in this part of the sea difficult. It took one year for his soul to find his body, and by then he had decomposed into bones. Zoro asked how Brook still had hair, and Brook replied that it had stiff roots.
Usopp asked if Brook was human or a ghost and Brook replied that he was afraid of ghosts. Hearing this, Nami pulled out a mirror to show Brook what she looked like. Brook was very scared when he looked in the mirror. It was then that Usopp and Chopper realized that Brook had no reflection and no shadow. They referred to him as a vampire and the crew was ready to attack except for Luffy who thought Brook was awesome. Brook told them that being a skeleton and having no shadow were unrelated. He told them that he cannot live or see sunlight because his shadow is stolen. Robin asks what would happen if Brook saw sunlight and he replies that he would disintegrate. He then told them of an incident he had witnessed where a person who had no shadow came in contact with sunlight.
Brook, however, was still pleased after telling his story. He told the crew how he had wandered that sea aimlessly, lonely and scared, waiting to die, but he lived on. He told them they were his joy. At that point, Brook refused Luffy’s offer to join his crew, saying that if he left the fog covers, it would only be a matter of time before he disbanded. He told them he would wait until he got his shadow back. Luffy was angered by Brook’s statement and told Brook that if Brook needed his shadow, he would give it back to him. Luffy asked who it was, but Brook refused to tell him. Then Brook decided to play music for them, stating that he was a musician from a past crew. Excited that Brook is a musician, Luffy said that Brook must join his team. Just as Brook was about to play the song, he noticed the hollow and yelled “Ghost” and the ship was rocking.
When the crew went outside to see what had happened, they noticed a huge object on their course. Brook told them it was the back of the gate and told the Straw Hat crew to come look at the back of the ship. When they got there, they were surprised by what they saw. Brook then asked if they picked up the floating barrel. Luffy remembered how he picked up the floating barrel and told Brook that they did. Brook told them that it was a trap and their ship was the target after this incident. Luffy asked why the island was there and Brook replied that it was a wandering ghost island – Thriller Bark.