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"Is it true? That the Strawhats Pirates' graves are on our very island?" asked Ushio excitedly, eyes twinkling like stars at the mention of his friend's words.
Ushio was a young man with bright orange hair, and a good memory for maps. He was, with his friends, at their town's local restaurant doing things their little group always do; talking about the legendary Strawhats Pirates.
Ushio's friend who told him the news was a young boy with black hair and a monkey-like grin. An avid fan of the Strawhat Pirates, he wore a strawhat with a red band on it, "Its true! Their graves are here, we need to go see it!"
"Huh? Really? Then where did you hear it from, Goku?" asked Wakame. He was a bit older than them, with dark green hair. He was the son of a dojo owner, and the best swordsman in town. His eyes are a bit strange, as his right eye is gold and the left silver.
"I heard it from a skeleton, of course!"
"A SKELETON!? Whose grave did you disturb!?" Ichika yelled. She was the only girl in the group, and apparently the only one with any common sense in this situation.
Goku pouted at Ichika's reaction, "I didn't disturb nobody's grave, y'know?"
"You do realise that two negatives makes a positive, right!? Plus, you just admitted that you disturb somebody's grave!"
"Anyway, that skeleton was wearing clothes and has an afro. I asked who he is and he said he's one of the Strawhats Pirates. I said I didn't believe him, so he asked me to meet at the edge of the coast for proof,"
Wakame leaned forward, hands clasping together," Goku, you really should question something about this situation... "
"Yeah, you tell him, Wakame," Ichika supported. She knew that Wakame is Goku's first friend ever since he moved to this town, so if there's anyone Goku will listen to, it's Wakame.
"Why does a skeleton have an afro? Wouldn't the hair also decompose along with the skin?" Wakame asked.
"YOU'RE QUESTIONING THE WRONG THINGS, DAMNNIT!"
"Hey, hey. Don't make such a racket, you guys. People are staring," said a smooth voice.
The voice came from another of their friend, who worked part-time in the restaurant. He was a young man with black and yellow hair.
"Oh, hey Shinzo!" Goku greeted.
"Hey," he greets back, "And here are your drinks," he said, putting the glasses down.
Wakame noticed that there are five glasses on the table, "Oh, you're on break?"
"Yeah. By the way, when are we going?" Shinzo asked.
"Oh, right now. But first, let's drink!" Goku said.
Ichika gave up right there and then. It's useless to convince her friends to stop. She might as well go along so that they're not dead or anything.
"By, Miss Nicole! I'll be back soon!" said Ushio. Nicole gave him her trademark smile, "Come back to town before the sun sets, alright?"
Nicole isn't Ushio's mother, but the two were close and has an aunt-nephew relationship with each other. She was a woman with beautiful black hair, and runs the nearby bookstore.
Ushio heard that Flam, an eccentric man who runs a repair garage at the edge of town, was her husband. He was curious on how those two got together, after all, their personalities are like heaven and earth.
But that's a question for later. Now, he wants to see the graves of the Strawhats Pirates.
For some reason, Ushio and his group of friends always listen to the stories of those pirate groups with great attention. And whenever they listen, it felt as if they were reliving the lives of the crew members themselves.
"Hi, Mr Samezuka!"
"Oh, Ushio? Going adventuring again?" the shark fishman asked. Samezuka came to the town a couple years ago, and despite his scary looks the townsfolk came to like him because of how kind he is.
"Yeah!"
"Don't get into any trouble, alright! You don't want to make Dr Shika worried, don't you?"
Dr Shika was the town's resident doctor. He's a kind man with a weird hairstyle; his hair looks like a reindeer's horns.
"Can't promise you that!" with that, Ushio ran to their meeting place; the edge of the coast.
The coast was a place where rarely any people go. The are no fish to catch, and the hills were steep, but not too dangerous if you were careful. It was the place those groups of friends hang out, pretend to be pirates and such.
Ichika jaws hung from her mouth. She can't believe it. An actual skeleton that is moving and talking like a living person!
"How is this even possible!?"
The skeleton laughed his strange laugh, "Yohoho! I ate the Yomi-yomi Fruit, and now I came back to life!"
"So... How did you end up here Mr Skeleton?" Goku asked.
"You don't even know his name? And you just asked us to go here?" Wakame asked.
Ichika puts her hand on the young swordsman's shoulders, "Give it up, Wakame. It's too late for that anyway,"
"Yohoho! My name is Brook! And I am a member of the Strawhats, their musician to be precise! After all, every crew needs a musician!"
"You're a member of the Strawhats!?" they all yelled.
"Yep! And I came here to visit my friends,"
"They died a thousand years ago, though," Goku said.
"Yohoho! Of course! But as I first died, I realized something," he knelt down and held up a finger, "We humans die three times; the first when our breath leaves our body, the second when our loved ones return our body to the ground,"
He paused, and he continued, "And the third death, and final death, is a moment, sometime in the future, when our name is spoken for the last time,"
He suddenly stood up, "And that, my young friends; although they're not here I'm making sure their memories are alive in the present! After all, that's my job as the last remaining member of the Strawhats!"
Brook then walked to the water, his long legs closing the distance in a couple of strides.
" Wait, you ate a Devil Fruit! You can't go in the water!" Ushio warned.
"But I'm not swimming! I have a few friends with me, you see!" Brook said.
From his feet that were submerged in the water, something blue appeared.
Inclusing the one carrying Brook, three baby whales the size of a boat appeared. They all bellowed happily and smiled.
"They are all the descendants of my friend, Laboon. I'm surprised that Laboon had kids, yohoho!"
He gives his hand towards Goku, "Now, come on. We won't stay any younger!"
The group of a skeleton and five people walked through a thick forest for quite some time. Wakame helping through with cutting some of the bushes in their way.
Finally, they ended up near a cliff. The baby whales are also there, as they know this is where Brook will be.
Standing right on the edge of the cliff was nine graves, all decorated with an object of some sort.
But the middle one caught their attention; it was the captain's grave evidenced by the strawhat on it.
"So, this is their graves... They do exist!" Ushio exclaimed. For some reason, tears started to stream down his face.
Not just him, but the others, too. For some reason, they were happy. A thousand years passed by, and yet those amazing people were still remembered.
"Yohoho! I'm crying too! Even though I have no eyes!" Brook said as tears poured down his empty eye sockets.
He took out his violin and started a song, and Goku's eyes widened, "I know that song!"
"Really!?" Brook asked.
"Yeah, it's a folk song in our region! Every year we sang it for the heroes who saved the seas a thousand years ago!"
"Well, you see, those heroes ARE the Strawhats! Now, let us sing for Bink's Brew!"
And so, they sang, the baby whales heard the song and bellowed out, singing along.
A thousand years may past, but this song that was once sang, is the one connecting the past and the present.
It is the letter containing the stories to the newer generation.