But it wasn't the Rumbar Pirates he thought of now. His thoughts—his heart—immediately shifted to the ones he had come to call family. His mind flashed to the Straw Hat crew, the people who had taken him in, who had shared their journey with him. "Where are they?"
Brook clutched the violin tighter, as if it might somehow pull him out of this painful spiral. "Where are you all?" he whispered hoarsely. "Luffy… Nami… Sanji… Zoro… Chopper… Robin... Franky... Jinbe… Usopp..."
But the realization slammed into him: if he was back in time, then... then this meant they hadn't crossed his path yet. His beloved Straw Hats—his new family—weren't here. Not yet.
His mind screamed at him. It wasn't the first time he'd felt this sorrow, this emptiness. But this—this was different. The ache in his chest felt like it would crush him, because it wasn't just the Rumbar Pirates he had lost—it was the Straw Hats, too. And in this moment, it felt as though he might lose them all over again.
"No, not again." His voice cracked, breaking as the emotions bubbled up from deep inside. For a long moment, he simply sat there on the deck, alone with his thoughts, letting the silence wash over him. But as the storm of grief and confusion raged in his heart, something inside him flickered—a spark, faint but undeniable.
He wiped his eye sockets with his bony hand, forcing himself to steady his breath, though his body shook. And then, he let out a hollow laugh. "Yahaha… Why am I crying now?" He chuckled softly, the sound bitter and pained, as he forced a smile across his skull. "But... it's alright… I'm just remembering, that's all. I'll play through this… just like I did before…"
But the unease refused to leave him. He stood slowly, the realization that he was once again facing the past settling like lead in his stomach. His hands tightened around the violin, his eyes narrowing as something gnawed at him. The shadow of something long lost hovered at the edge of his mind.
"Thriller Bark…" he murmured under his breath. "If this is truly the past, then that's where it all began... That's where my shadow is."
Brook's hand trembled as he steadied himself, taking one more glance around at the ship—the ship of his old crew. The sudden urgency took hold of him. If his shadow was still in Moria's hands, then this was more than just a twist of fate. It was a chance. A chance to not just recover his shadow, but maybe—just maybe—to find his crew again.
His determination started to take root, mixing with a quiet hope he hadn't felt in a long time. "I have to find them again. I won't lose them."
With his usual resolve, Brook pulled at the rim of his top hat, his eerie laugh breaking through the tension in the air. "Yahaha! It seems I've forgotten something important… but as long as I have music, I'll stay strong!"
Even beneath the bravado, the seed of hope took root. There was no guarantee. There were no promises. But Brook wasn't about to let go. Not now.
He turned the ship toward the horizon, toward Thriller Bark. And as he did, the sounds of his violin rose once more—a haunting, powerful melody carrying the weight of his promise, the echoes of the Rumbar Pirates, and the hope of the Straw Hats, still out there waiting to be found.