Brook

Zoro was sent off to Kurigana Island, where the strongest swordsman in the world, Dracule Mihawk, lived.

Nami was on Weatheria, Usopp on Boin Archipelago, Sanji on Kamabakka Kingdom, Chopper on Torino Kingdom, Robin on Tequila Wolf, Franky on Karakuri Island, and Brook on Namakura Island.

Each of them had to face their own list of troubles, and they didn't know where the rest were.

But the Straw Hats did realize that they weren't strong enough for the New World, not like this, so they decided to train.

Nami learned more about weather manipulation and forecasting, while Usopp dealt with a jungle full of carnivorous plants.

Chopper improved his medicine, and Robin herself got stronger with the Revolutionaries.

Franky rebuilt himself with stronger metal, while Brook practiced his music and honed his skills.

During this time, though, Ace was still continuing his search for Blackbeard, but the pirate remained incredibly elusive, as if he'd gone into hiding.

Because while Zoro and Sanji can fight on par with the Seraphim, the other Straw Hats simply can't hold out forever.

Robin and Brook continue to fight the shadow powers of S-Gecko, while Jimbei combines his Fishman Karate and the nearby water to fight against S-Snake.

While on the other side of the island, Nami, Franky, and Chopper have to fight gravity and the superhuman strength of S-Croc and S-Shark.

In the meantime, the Grand Fleet is fighting with the vice admirals Hina, Smoker, Bastille, Doberman, and Lonz, and they can't do much else to help anyone else.

With Jimbei distracted, S-Snake is free to hunt Robin.

The Seraphim brushes aside Robin's sprouted limbs and grabs the archeologist by the throat, choking the life out of her.

Brook tries to save her, but he is stopped by S-Gecko.

Robin even tries to enter her demon form, but S-Snake is just too strong for her.

Back to Gunko, she keeps telling the Straw Hats about her plan, or their plan, rather.

In which case, then she kidnaps Colon and uses her arrows to make Jinbei and Brook attack each other.

And then sends Nami flying and kicks Usopp off as well.

Literally kicks him

off.

Like I said... it's tough, you know, you know what I mean? It's like tough for these, you know, like we don't have like Jinbei is the strongest one there, right? Probably.

Um, Brooke is, you know, pretty strong too, but like they literally don't know how to combat Gunko.

So it's hard, you know, it's hard to fight someone like that.

With his Observation Haki at the level it's at now and the memory of what he could sense from Dragon back at Logue Town, he figured it out quite some time ago, but didn't bother thinking too much about it since it doesn't change anything for him.

Later on, as the Scarface Pirates meet Brook and get pulled into the battle against Moria, things change immensely, yet the end result is once again the same.

For one, Luffy never gets trapped and stripped of his shadow, thanks to his Observation Haki.

During his very first face-off against Moria, he manages to pulverize the tyrant with his Emission Blast and force him to release all the shadows he's stolen, causing there to be no giant battle at the butt crack of dawn for Bartholomew Kuma to witness.

In fact, by the time he shows up, the Scarface Pirates are long gone, with Brook joining the crew since nobody was injured, and thus there was no need for their recuperation period.

With this, not only is Zoro spared from the pain he suffers to save Luffy, but Kuma has nothing to report back to the world government except that Moria has been mysteriously defeated.

From there, the crew's voyage takes them through the Sabaody Archipelago arc with little change other than Luffy and co. facing the Pacifista that appears before them after Rayleigh decides to coat their ship.

"I can't, I can't hear myself think.

Also, I'm younger than Brook."

[laughs]

But Brook is not emotionally mature.

Although he tries to prove-

Yeah

I do too

... because-

I think...

I feel like the Brook flashback, seeing him still silhouetted in that, also is good evidence that that won't be the case.

But again, if that is the case, I will be so mad.

I will be-

Well, in the Brook-

... very mad

...

in the Brook flashback, that was him teleporting through an elder, which we saw him do before.

I liked it.

I would agree with you on that.

I was trying to think, because I know he's helped both Brooke and Chopper as well in very deep and meaningful ways, but neither of them actually...

It's never been a deep moment like this where they're like, please help me.

Yeah.

Fear washes over Judge, realizing the situation he allowed himself to be put in, but all three of his sons begin to laugh.

Tears start falling from his eyes.

Brooke decides in order to fully send Big Mom into her panic, they need to show her the broken picture once again.

I don't remember who.

I think maybe it's Jinbe who says like, "Are they, like, a Celestial Dragon?" Brook makes a face, which then later Brook says that he knows what the Knights of Gods are, which everyone, I...

Everyone in the audience, myself included, is like, "Huh?" [laughs]

Y- yeah, just the...

Broo- [laughs] Brook knowing what they are is, is, uh-

He's old, but, like, he don't-

He, he is old.

...

Not the father-killing princess.'" The life you stole away belonged to the man to whom I owe everything.

Oh, rare Brook backstory.

Yikes.

Yeah, I gotta say, I expected a lot of things out of this volume.

Random Brook lore drop was not one of them.

Not in Elbaf.

That's not where I would have thought it would happen.

I don't think that's ever been said out loud that I can think of.