Straw Hats Tribute by Brook

“Did you really sail with him The Pirate King?” One child asks with wide eyes as the skeleton turns to face the small crowd seated on the hill. “Of course I did, little one. I was blessed with the honour of being the crew’s musician. Every crew needs music, you see, YOHOHOHO.” A second one pipes up, plucking a tangerine from a tree growing nearby “What were they like” The skeleton looks almost saddened as his mind wanders back to those days “Where to begin…ah, our navigator. She was a foxy young woman with a habit of stealing, and a love of a certain fruit. She dreamed of charting the whole world. Our doctor was a strange little thing, a raccoon-dog, if memory serves. He wanted nothing more than to cure all diseases of the world. Our marksman was a coward, though his kind heart allowed him to do things no one else could. He wanted to become a great warrior of the seas. Our cook was hot tempered, always bickering with the first mate, who wished for the All-Blue, while the first mate became the strongest swordsman to ever live. Our shipwright was like no other, a cyborg with a brilliant mind, and an odd distaste for pants. Our Helmsman was a great and noble fish man. A heart of gold and will of iron kept him level headed in even the harshest conditions. Our archeologist, now she was special. The terrors of her past weighed heavy on her mind, though never stopped her from learning all there is to know…” The skeleton turns back around to the many graves, lined side by side as the children listen with baited breath. The first smiles a wide smile, joy in his eyes at the tale “But what about your captain” The skeleton’s mouth drops for a moment “Our captain…he brought smiles to all he met. His rubber body meeting his elastic attitude to bring the dawn of our new world. You all know his story. He held us together…I would dare say they were as my family…but enough of sad times…perhaps you’d like to hear a song” The sea seems to rumble in response as a giant black whale erupts from depths, massive scars along the brunt of its face with a crude drawing of a Jolly Roger with a straw hat drawn in its face. The skeleton laughs as the children shake in fear “This one’s his favourite…”