Chapter 348 Song and Whale Call
Crocus asked the question that Rab wanted to know most: "How are the other members of the Rumba Pirates?"
In fact, when seeing Brook's current appearance, Crocus already had a bad guess. Thinking carefully, it was not the Rumbar Pirates who came this time, but the Amber Travel Group which was very famous in the East China Sea recently... I'm afraid the Rumbar Pirates no longer exist?
Faced with this question, Brook silently opened his skull, took out the music shell he treasured, and gently pressed the play button.
The final ensemble and chorus of the Rumba Pirates came from the small soundbar. Laboo jumped for joy when he heard the music, and swam carefully on the sea like he did when he was a child, making "Woo~Woo~" sounds in response to the rhythm.
Brooke watched this scene with mixed emotions and couldn't help but pick up his beloved violin.
The piano followed the melody in the shell, and the scene in front of Brook's eyes kept changing. His deceased companions stood beside him again, playing their own instruments. The 400-meter-long Lab turned back into a small whale the size of one or two people, swimming and tumbling in the waves to the music...
“Yohohoho, yohohoho…”
Laboo leaned against the shore, and the captain and Brooke stroked Laboo's head together: "No matter how many times I see it, Brooke, your hairstyle is exactly the same as Laboo's!"
Brooke scratched her hair: "Isn't that great? Yohohoho~"
"Binx's wine"
The crew clinked their glasses: "Cheers to Brooke for eating the Landlubber Fruit!"
Brook clinked his glasses subconsciously, then immediately shouted, "What kind of reason is that for a toast! And that's the Yomiuri Fruit!"
"Facing the wind, rain and huge waves"
The Rumba Pirates held a swimming competition, and a naughty crew member rode on Laboo: "Go, Laboo! Don't lose to those guys!"
Brooke, who couldn't compete, stood on the boat and raised his fist: "Play well and don't cheat by using Lab!"
"My favorite flag is flying under the clear sky"
After resting at the Twin Capes, the Rumba Pirates set sail again: "Lab, in two or three years we will complete our journey around the world, then we will cross the Upside Down Mountain again and return to this place. By then, your body should have become huge and strong, and then we will go on adventures together again!"
"This sea is totally beyond common sense. It's unbearable! Let's sing a song, sing that song!"
“I don’t know how Captain Yuchi’s illness is doing, or whether he has successfully passed through the doldrums. But we must inherit his will and continue on this new ship until we meet Rab!”
"Their weapons are poisoned... Even the ship's doctor is dead... Haha... Are we going to be wiped out?"
"Since we are all going to die anyway, we might as well leave happily. How about joining the chorus? If I can really be resurrected, I will definitely bring this sound shell back to Gemini Cape!"
…
As the music entered the second half, the number of performers decreased one by one, and Laboon made anxious whimpering sounds. He seemed to see the phantoms around Brook disappear one by one, the adventurous journey of the Rumbar Pirates, and the scene of his companions falling down one by one during the performance forty years ago.
He tried to hold her back sadly, but he was powerless.
Lab is a very smart island whale. He guessed what Brook wanted to tell him by listening to the changes in music, but he would rather not be so smart. The joy just now was like a dream bubble, drowned by the sadness that surged like a tsunami.
Familiar figures and interesting memories kept appearing and disappearing in Laboo's mind. All the members of the Rumbar Pirates waved goodbye to Laboo with smiles. Laboo tried to swim forward, but he could not touch their figures no matter what.
Swimming and swimming, Lab's scarred head touched the shore. The cold and hard touch of the rocks on the red earth continent brought him back to reality. Lab's big eyes were full of confusion and sadness.
He retreated backwards out of habit, his huge tail swinging, wanting to hit the red earth continent as before, but this time he was not trying to break through the red earth continent to find his companions on the other side. He just wanted to vent his sadness and numb himself with the pain.
Brook was still playing the violin, and the only sound left in the music was the sound of Brook's piano accompaniment. It was as if the Brook of forty years ago and the Brook of today were performing an ensemble across time and space face to face, using this song to convey all his emotions from the past and present to Lab.
Lab was stunned. He understood Brooke's feelings, including the joy of reuniting after a long separation, the sadness of losing his companion, the regret of not being able to fulfill the promise, and the worry about him over the years...
But most importantly, Lab understood the last message left by the Rumba Pirates in the song - "We ended this trip cheerfully and happily."
This is the significance of the Rumbar Pirates leaving behind this recording. As pirates, they have long been prepared to die in battle one day. Everyone will have this day, and there is nothing to be afraid of if they die.
The only thing they are worried about is that they can’t fulfill their promise to Rab, and they must be very sad when they learn of their deaths, right?
They are the Rumbar Pirates who can make crying children laugh, so how could they make their companions who were waiting for them cry after their death?
So they exhausted their last vitality, leaving this unprecedented chorus of the Rumba Pirates for Lab, telling him:
"Although we are leaving, we are leaving with a smile. Please continue to live with a smile from now on..."
Brook knew the meaning of this song, so in the past forty years, every time he felt lonely, he would take out the music shell and listen to it. This "song of life " could make him feel the presence of his companions. It was both a gift to Lab and a gift left to him.
Shark Chili was the first to understand the song, so on the Terror Bark he listened to a complete song for the first time without running away. He could feel the singer's happy intention to others. Such performance and singing would be difficult to replicate even for Tom.
As a member of the Rumba Pirates , Laboon now understands the song, so he did not crash into the rock wall in the end. He will not hurt himself intentionally again. He will try his best to fulfill his companions' last wish - to live well, to live well with a smile... together with Brook.
Lab listened to the last note quietly and looked at Brooke silently as he put down his violin.
Finally, Lab opened his mouth gently: "Woo~~~~"
"I understand, Lab! I understand!" Brooke's tears welled up again, and he raised his hand holding the bow and wiped it with his sleeve:
"You still have me! To be honest, I am really useless. I still need you to comfort me at a time like this. But, not only do you still have me, I also have you!"
"Woo~~~~~" Lab laid his body flat and leaned against the shore, as if inviting Brooke to come up.
"Yes, this is the last time I cry." Brooke wiped her tears and jumped lightly onto Lab's back. "Then let me play a song for you. Sing your favorite song!"
"Woo~Woo~" Lab carried Brook steadily as before and swam freely on the sea.
The sounds of violin, singing and whale calls echoed throughout the Twin Capes.
…
While Brook and Lab were playing in the sea, Kurokas asked about Brook's experience and also told everyone in the Amber Tour Group about Lab's past.
This naturally includes the origin of the scars on Lab's head.
"Hey? Are those scars caused by the collision with the Red Earth Continent?" Wendy touched her head and said sympathetically, "It must be very painful, right?"
"His body is too big to go upstream through the canal to the West Sea on the other side of the Red Earth Continent. He can only bang his head against the mountain wall day after day." Kulokas said while looking at the towering Upside Down Mountain. "Rather than the pain, Rab is more afraid that his waiting will be meaningless."
Rui Mengmeng said: "But he has been waiting for so many years. Since he believes that his companion will come back, is it really okay to hurt himself?"
"This... is actually my responsibility." Crocus said with some guilt, "I once confirmed through a 'reliable channel' that the Rumbar Pirates have escaped from the Grand Line. After I told Lab about this, he didn't want to believe it, so he became irritable and wanted to go to the other side of the Red Earth Continent to confirm it himself..."
"Reliable channel" means that he once served as a ship doctor on Roger's ship, and during the several years of sailing, he heard the news that the Rumbar Pirates escaped from the Grand Line.
Perona said dissatisfiedly: "What kind of reliable channel is that? It's obviously fake news."
"Maybe it was me who harmed Lab." Kurokas himself was not sure.
"No." Zhang Da also interrupted and said, "That news should be true."
Everyone looked at him in confusion, and Zhang Da also explained: "Brook once said that because the former captain of the Rumbar Pirates, 'Plain White Cloth' Yuki, and a dozen other crew members were suffering from an infectious disease, they boarded the original pirate ship and forced their way into the Calm Belt, preparing to leave the Grand Line."
"The rest of the crew, led by Brooke, continued their adventure on the new ship. They later lost their trace in the Devil's Triangle. The fact that they were annihilated was unknown to the outside world."
"So the news Mr. Crocus got should refer to the fact that Yuki and his crew left the Grand Line on the Rumbar Pirates' ship. It can't be considered fake news. Mr. Crocus didn't lie to Lab, so there's no need to feel too guilty."
"Thank you for your comfort." Kulokas smiled at Zhang Da and said, "But having said that, Rab did suffer for a long time because of my information."
"Yohohoho~ Please don't worry about it, Mr. Kulokas!" Brooke rode Laboo back to the shore. "Laboo didn't blame you. On the contrary, I want to thank you on behalf of my companions for taking care of Laboo for so long, and thank you for collecting information about us for Laboo."
Brooke jumped onto the shore, took off her little hat and bowed slightly: "Thank you very much!"
"Woo~Woo~" Lab responded in a light voice.
“Really?” Kurokus smiled. “That’s very kind of you to say. And congratulations on your reunion!”
“Woo~woo~”
"Thank you!" Brooke thanked them again and looked at Zhang Daye and the others. "Thank you for taking care of me along the way. If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would be able to see Lab again. I am so grateful for your kindness!"
