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His first notion of true ghosts happened aboard Thriller Bark, the morning after its captain's defeat. Still agitated from the night's events, Brook hadn't even realized it'd been a ghost then. It had all happened too fast.
A small, desperate girl over the rubble was pulling at Sanji to wake up, crying more than she likely ever did in life. When the man finally gained consciousness and stood with a jolt, she ran five steps ahead of him.
She was nowhere to be seen when Sanji emerged with a half-dead swordsman in his hands.
*-*-*
Brook, over the two years he was away, took the time to sharpen this strange ability. Based on the others' experiences, he would compare it to a strange form of Observation Haki the Revive-Revive fruit allowed him to have. It was sort of like opening a third eye– not that he had any to begin with!
Well, better late than never , as some of his old crew would say. Every bone in his body rejoiced when he found a see-through note from Captain Yorki in his bunk: they'd been there, by Brook's side , in their burial, and were now all waiting by Laboon's station. He could not be more grateful.
*-*-*
It was on the path to Fishman Island that he saw the little girl again. The vast majority of the living crew were asleep, save for Nami in the back and the skeleton himself out on deck. He was playing a calm tune on the violin, admiring the beauty of the underwater sea.
The girl had come running from halfway across the ship. She lunged at a soul Brook recognized instantly, and knew the name of well: Portgas D. Ace. He caught her and nearly tumbled over.
Perhaps it was the distance Brook watched from, but the man seemed confused– like if he didn't know what to do with this sudden child in his arms.
Ever so slowly, they began to exchange words. They did not sound human at all. He'd compare it to the sounds of sea monsters, like the ones he would see in his lonelier nightmares, but softer. Less hostile.
Perhaps it is the language of the dead, Brook thought, making no move to interfere. What a haunting, beautiful sound.
The two got along quickly. By the time the sun rose they were playing tag around the ship, stopping when Sanji gave the call for breakfast.
Brook followed the scent of pancakes like second nature. The rhythm of the morning may have been a sign that the Strawhat crew had never been separated at all, at most that they were rowdier and hungrier than usual: everyone ate twice as much, and Luffy's foody stray hands had gained new strategies (to which Robin herself was countering like a brand new chess game). Franky and Usopp were Brook's biggest fans during his Breakfast Special! He discovered Zoro and Sanji's loud bickering were perfect supporting choruses. Nami and Chopper had the suspicion the insults were from a list they'd each made in the two years, and had been eagerly waiting to use them.
Then came the quiet time, where Luffy would be the only one still asking for repeats as Sanji, exasperated (fond), would still be serving. Zoro would sink into nursing his drink as he leaned back into his chair, watching Usopp spearhead a game of cards with the others (Robin and Chopper counted as one team). The ghost child sat next to the swordsman, paying attention.
While Brook himself was practicing idly on an acoustic guitar, he noticed Ace sitting on the corner of the counter.
He was smiling.
And Brook must have been staring, because the man simply tucked his hat over his face.
"Oi, Brook! Why'd you stop playing?"
"Hm?" Brook zoned back in. His captain was chewing on meat. "Ah, apologies. I was simply deciding which song to play next."
"Oh, are we doing requests?" Usopp beamed as he put down a winning hand. "I have one!"
*-*-*
They were not the only ghostly guests in the ship, Brook knew. He once saw four ladies in the kitchen, cheerful and seeming to tell stories. From their features alone he could guess they were mothers of others: Usopp's nose, Sanji's fringe over the eye, Robin's eyes. The pink-haired one didn't sell herself out immediately, but the way she picked through Nami's tangerine bushes was enough. A large fishman grinned proudly as Franky ran checks over the mast just yesterday, the same as a joyful man watching Chopper.
A guest– no, a roommate – that was hard to find, but was always on the ship, was Merry. She had goat horns and a white dress, with a soft blue glow around her signaling her past life as a Klaubatermann. She and Ace sometimes kept Luffy company at Sunny's head, and sometimes Brook wished he could have met them both during their lifetime.
Ace made his departure moments before they landed on Punk Hazard, and later it became no wonder why: the Flare-Flare fruit was once again in the wild.
Just as his body transformed into ghostly flame, a taller man used the fading fire to light a cigarette. He walked away to where that sulking Torao boy was, watching the events around him with a strange cautiousness. The makeup–or perhaps tattoos?– was distinct, it made Brook wonder why choose a clown when you had so many more options. Skeletons were much more intimidating, in his opinion.
Or perhaps he was trying to come off as friendly, and Brook found that a far more interesting thought.
(The little girl had been offended at the makeup-man's height. She fell over after she knocked her head against his knee once. All he did was lean down to give her his hand, and from there she was perched upon his shoulder until disembarking at Dressrosa.
She also went starry-eyed the moment Kinemon mentioned the land of Wano).
*-*-*
On the islands of sweets, Brook discovered a way to understand the language of the dead. It was obvious, looking back.
His spirit, ghostly form flew through the halls, and he was not the only one.
"Sanji? Sanji!" A woman's voice called. Brook recognized her, and it seemed the feeling was mutual.
The interaction was short, but it spoke well of her.
"Please, find him. Make him stay with you."
*-*-*
Perhaps the relief of getting their cook back was getting to Brook's captain. Luffy was splayed out on the grass, where the sunlight touched him, as Sanji kept an eye on him from the guardrail.
"Y'know, I had a weird dream back there."
The cook glanced down at him. "'Back there'?"
"Yeah, back at Dressrosa. We were all sleeping at a cabin cuz' we were tired. I knocked over Usopp with my foot and his nose made a funny sound."
Amused, Sanji furrowed his brow. "Are you sure you were dreaming?"
Luffy lifted his head up. "Yeah! 'Cuz I looked up and Ace was standing next to the doorframe! And Sabo didn't even notice!"
If Sanji pinched his cigarette at the mention of Fire-Fist, Brook did not mention it. "You're right. It's weird."
"Yeah! Can you kick me next time I have one of those?"
Sanji waved his hand. "Just say the word."
*-*-*
Wano, Brook agreed, was a gorgeous land. But he had made a mistake.
You see, Merry aside, most ghostly visitors would come and go from the Sunny. He didn't doubt that all those souls had a circle–both big and small– of people that adored them in life, and checking on them too would only be right. Some stayed for longer than others, but there was this one person that never left: the short girl in the white shirt.
She had something to do with Zoro, that much was clear from the first time she appeared. To satiate his curiosity, Brook tried to bring it up once:
"Zoro, would you allow me to ask something?"
"Sure."
"What are your thoughts on small children?"
"...Huh?"
He understood that the swordsman wanted to avoid the subject. Still, Usopp could attest that Brook was one to enjoy a good round of gossip.
He focused his vision on what haunted the land of the samurai, and his non-existent heart dropped: ghosts crowded the island, more than there were living beings. It sent a chill down his boney spine.
Twenty years, Brook thought bitterly , should not cause this. Not to this scale, no.
The ones who made a point to stand out were few: a man with a black plate as a hat (the famous Kozuki Oden, according to Kinemon's tales), paired with a mint-haired woman strikingly similar to the girl Zoro made friends with. They would always be behind her or Momo's trail, sometimes smiling at Luffy's endeavors.
The newly-ghost member of the Akazaya, his smile and cheer bringing joy to the dead as he watched over his daughter.
A man with purple hair sporting an impressive back tattoo (the Shimotski clan's crest?), whose features caused too much deja vu for it to be normal.
Ah, but of course, it clicked when Brook saw the man talking with the girl in the white shirt, watching as Zoro trained with his new sword, their passion for the art must be innate.
All but the little girl departed when the raid of Onigashima began. Their presence, even if unnoticed, would only distract the living's duties, and tonight was too important. There were only two times where Brook could have used his ability, and in the end he only used it in one.
On the first, he did not need to check to know the Rumbar Pirates his eyes saw were not his. Fifty years of nightmares taught him to tell the difference on his own.
On the second occasion, he did use it. He was not going to believe his captain would lose from mere words !
And there was Luffy's voice. Not quite a voice that created words, but an echo carrying soft giggles that built itself up like a firework preparing to burst.
Lost / Kaido / keep going / more / FUN
For a never-ending moment, the voice went quiet. The silence rang in Brook's bones.
Then, an earthquake shook Onigashima at the rhythm of drums. Luffy's laughter shook the whole world.
*-*-*
"Wouldn't it be scary if we could see ghosts?" Nami said to the table one night, a week into their travels since departing Wano.
Luffy spoke between bites, jabbing a fork in the musician's direction. "Brook's a ghost."
The navigator rolled her eyes, "he doesn't count." She furrowed her brows at Brook. "No offense."
" Yohoho , none taken."
Usopp leaned over to dip his cheese sticks in sauce. "What about that Ghost Queen back at Thriller Bark?"
Nami slammed the table with her fist, "doesn't count either!" She stopped to reach for a falling plate, but Sanji was faster. At the other side of the table, Zoro was seen making a face at the memory of pink ponytails. Nami reestablished the topic. "I mean like, real ghosts."
"What do you mean by real ?" Jinbe said.
Sanji served a glass of milk for Chopper. "Maybe that they're not related to Devil Fruits?"
"Yeah, like that."
"They're real." Zoro said matter-of-factly, and Luffy swiveled his head at him like he held the answers to the universe.
At this, Usopp choked on his food. "Oh– cough– oh, yeah, totally. I've met– cough – thousands of em."
Robin lightly held her glass of wine, sprouting arms to help the sniper. "How do you know, Zoro?"
"Wano," Zoro popped open a bottle, "right after King went down," and began chugging.
Sanji, on a rare occasion, gave the man a chance. "Oh? who'd you see?"
Where the small, unseen girl grinned smugly next to Zoro, he set down the bottle with a thud and unknowingly mimicked her, "Tsk. None of your business."
Once again unseen, the girl proudly slaps him in the shoulder, and sticks her tongue at their cook.
Sanji loses his grace and rolls his eyes. "Oh, for the love of–"
Brook gives it five seconds before they start yelling at each other, and quickly the table becomes a mess.
As Luffy cackles, there's a moment of eye contact between captain and musician. The former points to the swordsman with his head. The question mark could have been practically hovering over the strawhat.
Brook took the thermos of tea in his hands. " Yohohoho , ghosts not related to Devil Fruits…" he drank, and recalled the old Pirate King laughing, holding onto the deck's sides with his hat skewed when they'd dropped down Wano's waterfalls. "It's an interesting concept indeed."