Episode 384

"Brook's Hard Struggle - The Difficult Path to Becoming a True Nakama?" is the 384th episode of One Piece.

Short Summary
After reading a journal of the Straw Hat Pirates' adventures, Brook tries his hardest to help everyone so he can be up to their level. He helps out whenever he can. First, he goes to help Sanji in the kitchen, but drops the plates. Sanji catches them but has his hands full, so Brook offers that he helps and wants to bring Nami a cup of tea, though Sanji wanted to do it himself. Then, he brings it to Nami, but spilled the tea over the map she was drawing. Next, he goes to see Franky and Usopp who are building a weapon which runs on cola. He offers to help by filling the weapon with cola, but fills it with soy sauce instead, causing the weapon to explode. Chopper, who's drying some plants in the sun, finds his work ruined by the soy, Usopp and Franky's work is lost, and Luffy is the only one who seems happy (since Robin and Zoro are considerably always unhappy); he says that the soy brings more flavor to the meat he's eating. Finally, he goes to Zoro, but is only disturbing him in his mediation. In the end, he speaks with Robin. She tells him that he should just be himself, and that he too will find he's as much a crew member as the others.

Expanded Overview
During a particularly calm night, Brook is on watch, manning the steering wheel while commenting how calm and quiet it is. He then begins to think about Laboon, and about his new companions, the Straw Hat Pirates. He recalls discovering a journal recounting the adventures and battles the Straw Hat Pirates have gone through. He vows that as long as he's their nakama, he will act appropriately. The next morning, Brook wakes everyone up by singing Black Handkerchief of Happiness, much to everyone's annoyance.

Later that morning, the Straw Hat Crew are all sitting in the dining room; Franky talks to Nami about the calm weather they've been having. Nami says the winds should pick up after a day, so Franky won't have to use his precious cola on the paddling system. Brook goes "Yoho" to this. Luffy compliments Sanji on the meat he's eating, saying Sanji's food is the best. Brook laughs again. Sanji offers Robin some more seafood, to which Robin accepts. Brook laughs for a third time, which grabs everyone's attention. Usopp and Roronoa Zoro ask if there's something wrong with him; Chopper replies by saying Brook had read their Voyage Journal. Brook goes on a monologue about how amazed he was with the Straw Hat Pirates' adventures; stopping a rebellion in the sand country of Arabasta, great adventures on Sky Island, though its existence was only considered legend, and becoming an enemy of the World Government at Water 7 (and Enies Lobby). Nami wonders what they'll write in the journal next, to which Chopper asks if they'll add Brook to in it. Brook slams the table, and announces that since he has become their nakama, he doesn't feel like he has been of any help. Nami replies to Brook with a bit of advice: You must never let your guard down during a meal. Brook assumed she meant an enemy attack during the meal, but he soon realized she meant watching his food so that Luffy doesn't steal it...which he did. Nevertheless, Brook promises to work himself to the bone so that he can be their true nakama as soon as possible, even though he's already bones.

Later, Brook is washing dishes, while Sanji is preparing tea to serve Nami. There are suds and bubbles everyone, including on the floor and on Brook's face, but Brook merely says that he is really looking forward to helping out everyone when something major occurs, but until then, he'll help everyone out with smaller things. Then, just as Sanji begins to bring Nami her tea, Brook asks him where he would like the dishes he just washed. Before Sanji could answer, Brook slips on the suds on the ground and begins to fall. The dishes fly into the air, but Sanji uses his kicking moves to catch them, leaving his arms, leg, and mouth full of dishes. Brook is impressed, but Sanji gets angry and says that he shouldn't of had Brook wash the dishes. Hearing this, Brook instead decides to deliver Nami's tea, much to Sanji's disappointment.

Brook walks by Zoro training with weights as he goes to Nami to deliver her tea. When he arrives at the room she is in, he asks to see her panties, which obviously angers Nami, but nevertheless, she allows him to serve her tea. Brook watches her draw a map, while she says she's catching up on her map drawing with this calm weather. They talk about Nami's dream of drawing a map of the entire world. Brook once again offers his help if she ever needs it, and also offers to refill her cup of tea. Brook gets emotional when Nami says that just the thought of Brook offering her help is enough for her, forgets he's still pouring the tea, and yelps in pain when it overflows. When Nami asks what's wrong, Brook says he merely burned his finger on the hot tea, although he doesn't have any skin to burn. Nami then notices that he spilled the tea on her map. Feeling bad, Brook tries to clean up the map, but only manages to wipe away the ink on the map. Seeing Nami's fury, Brook rushes out of the room.

Brook begins to worry that he's done nothing helpful at all, when Luffy calls him over to see "something interesting". Once there, we see a new cannon developed by Franky and powered by cola, the "Super Franky Cannon". He claims its accuracy and strength are many times more powerful then a normal cannon, plus Usopp adds, with his sniping skills, it creates a monstrous combination. Brook gets excited, and offers his assistance once more. Franky takes him up on his offer and asks to fetch another barrel of cola. Brook gladly complies, and dashes off to get some. He picks up a random barrel, assuming it's cola, brings it back, and fills the cannon with it. Usopp and Franky target a nearby rock formation and attempt to fire, but nothing happens. Franky suggests to increase the pressure, which Usopp does so. However, this causes the cannon to overheat and explode. While wondering what went wrong, Luffy tastes the cola that came out of the cannon, and notes that it tastes salty. It turns out the barrel Brook fetched was full of soy, not cola. An enraged Franky chases Brook down, Usopp is upset about being completely soaked, Chopper is disappointed that he'll have to wipe the plants he was drying, but Luffy is happy, because the soy goes well with the meat he was eating.

Brook is later seen wobbling along, moaning on how everything he's done has backfired on him... He then notices Zoro training, and decides to watch him train while in the crow's nest of the Thousand Sunny. Brook then realizes that instead of admiring Zoro, he should train as well, for he is a swordsman, too. At that point, Zoro puts down the weights he was using, and begins to meditate. Brook joins him, but before long, Brook interrupts Zoro's meditation, asking if he may use the toilet. Zoro get's annoyed that he shouldn't have to ask him to leave, but it turns out Brook's legs fell asleep while meditating, and he's afraid that pretty soon, he'll begin to leak. A frazzled Zoro then carries Brook (still sitting cross-legged) off to the toilet.

Later on, Brook sighs to himself, commenting that all he has done is be an inconvenience to everyone. He then sees Robin watering her flowers, and nervously asks if there's anything he can do for her. Robin replies that she doesn't have anything in particular for him to do, to which Brook sadly acknowledges. Robin asks why Brook seems so unsettled lately, like he's afraid of something. Brook admits that, back when Luffy initially asked him to join his crew, it made him happy. And when he helped in the Straw Hat Pirates defeating Oars, he felt proud. Even so, he questions if it really was "okay" for him to join the crew. Now that they're heading for the New World, they'll be facing foes much stronger then anyone they've ever faced. He worries that he won't be any help, and instead only hold everyone back. He says that if something like that were to happen, he'd have to leave, and leaving is something he doesn't want to do- it would mean returning to his old lifestyle of living alone for years on end. Robin relates to Brook, in that she was always afraid that she wasn't suitable to be one of their nakama. That is why she wanted to give up her life for their sakes, thinking that would be the most suitable way to have been with them (referring back to the Enies Lobby arc). But now she knows that true nakama aren't like that, and reassures that Brook will be fine as well. Just then, Luffy shows up, telling Brook it's time for lunch, and that Sanji put his cooking skills on the line to make a huge meal from sea ingredients he's harvested. He runs off to the dining hall, excited, but Brook stops him, and asks him if it really was okay for him to join the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy replies with a simple "Yeah", though Brook wasn't expecting such a simple answer (even claiming it was "too easy".) Luffy reaffirms this by saying " I decided it, so you'll be fine." Luffy then gets back onto the subject of food and runs off for the dining hall. Brook joins him, and they entire crew enjoys a variety of seafood cooking by Sanji.

Later on, Brook sits out on deck, enjoying a cup of tea, shortly before taking a nap. Luffy and Usopp run by to go fishing, though this doesn't bother him. Brook begins to think about how long it has been since he's had an afternoon nap so comfortably. Back in the Florian Triangle, falling asleep would lead to him dreaming about being with his old crew and Laboon, where he'd be happy, only to wake up to a lonely and painful reality. For him, sleep was never a peaceful thing. But now, if he listens carefully, he can hear his new friends, all around him, doing their own thing; Nami and Robin talking about fashion, Chopper grinding herbs together to make medicine, Sanji cooking their next meal, Franky working in his work room, Zoro training in the crow's nest, and Luffy and Usopp, asleep while fishing. Although he may have died already, and is merely bones, he is truly glad to be alive.

That evening, while the sun was beginning to set, Brook plays Binks' Sake on his violin. Everyone on the ship could hear him play. He knows that this calm day was merely a short break before their next adventure, so they should "rest their bones". He thinks of all the new stories he will tell Laboon the next time they meet. Just then, the wind begins to pick up- it's time for them to continue onward to their next destination. The episode ends with Brook telling everyone that he will work himself to the bone and put his body on the line, though he is a skeleton and doesn't have a body.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Brook
 * Franky
 * Nami
 * Monkey D. Luffy
 * Sanji
 * Nico Robin
 * Roronoa Zoro
 * Usopp
 * Tony Tony Chopper

Trivia

 * Brook used "Black Handkerchief of Happiness" to wake everyone up, just like he did for his old crew, the Rumbar Pirates

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Brook daifuntō! Shin no Nakama e no Michi Kewashi?