Hermes's intuition was not wrong. As Homies born from the fusion of souls with certain objects of the present world, Hermes had almost no natural enemies; even Haki was unable to attack this kind of elemental life-form.
Only elemental countermeasures could harm them—for example, water would make Prometheus, who was created from fire, feel a scalding sensation.
And Brook's Revive-Revive Fruit possessed the ability to draw upon the Chill of the Underworld, making it a natural counter to this type of soul-based life-form.
"No need to make a fuss, Hermes. This skeleton just set out to sea a bit earlier than most.
Am I right, musician of the Rumbar Pirates, Humming Brook?"
Just as Hermes felt that Brook's words lacked respect, Nereus also arrived on the ship and directly pointed out Brook's identity.
"May I ask… what year is it now?"
"Year 1504 of the Age of the Sea Circle. It's March."
After the God Valley Incident, Nereus had spent quite a long time sailing the seas. Judging by distance alone, he had already traversed more than half of the Grand Line, and the time had reached a new year.
"1504… has it almost been fifteen years? Such a long yet short span of time… Since you know my name, you must have come here specifically to find me. But I don't understand, what could possibly make it worth your while to come personally to this sea?"
"I once met a little dolphin. It helped me with a small matter, and while chatting with it, it mentioned that it had a whale friend.
That whale friend waits every day at Twin Capes for a group of pirates to return. And that whale's name… is Laboon."
There were some things Nereus was destined not to say, and Laboon was a very good excuse.
As for whether the whales counted as fish…
From a biological classification standpoint, they certainly did not. But on these seas, the 'fish' of Fish-Men and Merfolk basically encompassed all marine life aside from shellfish. Mammals like whales and dolphins could even communicate more easily with Merfolk.
"Laboon… yes. Back then we promised it that we'd meet again after sailing all the way around the Grand Line.… Thank you for bringing this message all this way."
"No need to be so polite. I have my own purpose as well.
But it won't do you any harm. Simply put, I need you to become stronger. During that time, you can join us as a musician. When the time comes, I'll arrange for someone to send you to Twin Capes."
"I have no reason to refuse."
Brook spread his hands. After being trapped in these waters for over a decade, he had finally met living people and gained a chance to leave.
Even if Nereus hadn't said those words, Brook would have asked him to take him away from this sea area, let alone when Nereus had brought news about Laboon.
After the annihilation of the Rumbar Pirates, Laboon could be considered Brook's last remaining bond.
And after experiencing the cruelty of the Grand Line, Brook also understood that, on his own, he likely wouldn't be able to return to Twin Capes easily.
When they had first entered the Grand Line, the Rumbar Pirates had been full of high spirits, but they were soon dealt a brutal blow.
First they encountered an unknown plague, then enemies who coated their weapons with poison. Even though they defeated those foes, they were ultimately wiped out. Brook alone survived.
"Please take care of me from now on, Captain. I still have something to do, so please wait a moment."
Brook straightened his clothes and bowed solemnly, then returned to the cabin of the ship. Amid the creaking of the deck, he brought out a chest.
Inside were some of his companions' remains. He didn't want them to continue drifting across this sea. Burying them in their hometown in West Blue, or at Twin Capes… either was a choice.
"The Grand Line… is as cruel as ever…"
At this moment, Nanamo had also gained a preliminary understanding of some of Brook's past. She could only sigh; once one chose to venture onto this path, all kinds of disasters were inevitable.
"This is the truth of the Grand Line. It's called the Grand Line, but it's more like a breeding ground where pirates are culled. The process of crossing Reverse Mountain is already fraught with danger, but that's only the first trial.
Once you enter the Grand Line, leaving it is no easy matter."
Reverse Mountain doesn't actually flow backward; it's unrealistic to try to sail out against the current from there. Flying out, abandoning one's ship to cross the Red Line, or risking a passage through the Calm Belt—these are among the very few ways to leave the Grand Line.
As long as one is lucky enough, even those without great strength may have a chance to break through the Calm Belt.
After returning to Nereus's ship, Brook kept his gaze fixed on his original ship, watching it sail farther and farther away until it gradually vanished into the fog.
The bonds of the past still remained, but the future still had to unfold.
Because Nereus often rescued slaves, his ship had long kept a stock of clothing in all kinds of styles. After Brook changed into a suit, he also gave a brief self-introduction.
"Hmm… your appearance seems to fit your bone structure quite well."
Hermes was examining Brook's bounty poster. It felt that even without flesh and blood, this human's appearance hadn't changed much—the afro stood out even more than his face.
On these seas, where face-blindness was a serious problem, they were practically identical.
"Where does the food you eat even go?"
The ship's doctor was even more confused, increasingly feeling that his Boss was deliberately raising the difficulty level for him.
First there was a Lunarian with an extraordinarily strong autoimmune system, but Amphitrite's situation didn't really require much attention from him as the ship's doctor, since she could self-heal from most problems.
But this skeleton… aside from prescribing calcium supplements, he couldn't think of how to treat any special conditions at all, nor could he understand how the other party's hair even remained intact.
However, the one who interacted with Brook first was actually Nanamo, since Nereus had said that this was the accompanist he found for her.
Thus, after a brief rest, Brook was taken to the ship's music room, where a grand piano quickly caught his attention.
"That's a Hamaya C3XP, right? The light blue color is a custom version? If I remember correctly, this kind of piano used to sell for seven million Berries each…"
"Good eye. Dad said you're a decent musician. Let me see what you can do."
Being able to identify an instrument's model at a glance meant he had a solid foundation, but whether he was truly skilled or just pretending still had to be tested in practice.
"I won't make things difficult for you. You used to be a pirate too, right? Then play 'Bink's Sake.'
Dad promised to send you to Twin Capes, but you also know that it's the entrance to the Grand Line. We'll definitely have to wait until it's along the way.
If your skills satisfy me, I'll ask Dad to arrange a ship ahead of time. How about it?"
Nanamo had great faith in Nereus's strength; she had personally witnessed it throughout her life.
But she was equally convinced that when it came to music, even her father couldn't compare to her. That was a matter of professional expertise.
So the ship's musician still had to be evaluated by her personally.
TN: Hey guys, I will be releasing extra chapters for every 20 power stones. (5-7 chapters.)
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