Chapter 16: Social Networking

Hey people! Sorry it's been awhile, I have lacked inspiration and realized that I went a bit overboard with the plot, so I'm trying to figure out a way to simplify things, so I don't go overbaord. Not to mention, after the last chapter I had no idea where to go from there. But I managed to scrounge something up, but I appologize if this doesn't seem to up to usual quality. I am desperate for ideas so please speak your mind, people! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Case Closed or One Piece

"Kenzan island?" Conan repeated.

"Ah." Smoker nodded. "There have been reported sighting of one of the Strawhat pirates there, it's been unconfirmed of who though."

"The Strawhats' have been scattered?" Conan blinked.

"Ah." The Commodore glared. "What's it to yah?"

"Er-nothing!" The detective flinched. "I've just heard a lot about them, and I was just curious if the rumors were true…" Those weren't lies, in truth; he had been interested in the Strawhats for awhile, especially considering the amount of attention they get from the Navy.

"Well, don't fall for it!" Tashigi spoke up. "They, like every other pirate, have their extreme faults and need to be brought into justice." She softened after a moment. "Then again…I suppose every bad seed as some potential for good."

Conan was about to ask what she meant by that, but then Smoker spoke. "We have to go, there's no telling how long he'll be there if the sightings true."

"Yes sir!" They continued walking.

With Ace

"So…we lost him." Ace confessed to the man he considered his father.

Whitebeard sighed. "It's fine Ace, the brat's cooking up a plan in his head, and we'll just have to follow his lead at this point. Besides, it's not like we came here for nothing." As much as Ace hated to admit it, his captain was right. It was obvious Conan never had parents on the island, but it lead to a mass prison-break/slave rescue, he had one of his brother's crewmates that assured him his little brother was alive, and one of the Supernovas had just been released and would head back out to sea soon. They were going to meet up with one of Dragon's ship, so Inazuna and Robin would be off on their own way soon. Although, the revolutionaries would most likely want some of the action anyhow.

"So, Oyaji…do you really think we can trust this kid at this point?" Ace asked.

"It's true that he's lied to us the whole time…but his lies have brought nothing but good and freedom. Besides, I'm curious how he plans to fight the Navy." Whitebeard replied. "Let's see what he does next, I get the feeling we should let him go for now."

"If you say so, pops." Ace sighed. Despite what Oyaji said, he was going to kill the speckled twerp when he got he hands on him.

With Conan

Riding on the Navy vessel, Conan could only ponder what he was going to do next. He had no intention of leaving Saboady unless if Whitebeard was his ride away from the island, but now he was on a random Navy vessel, heading towards some island that was probably completely irrelevant to his search. Which reminded him, he felt in his pockets, and felt relief when the material of the papers connected with his fingers. Deciding to make conversation, he turned to the woman who caught him.

"Tashigi-san?"

She looked at him. "Yes, Kudo-kun?"

"My dad complains about the Strawhats a lot…who are they exactly?" Conan asked carefully.

"Your father has every reason to complain about them, kid." She huffed. "They're essentially the greatest and most powerful upstart pirates in the world, they've defeated Shichibukai, Cipher Pole 9, and even resolved Alabasta's revolution."

"They sound like good people to me. Why do people want to arrest them?" Conan could understand if they actually committed a crime, but from what he heard and read, the Strawhats have yet to actually do anything illegal.

"Just wait! Pirates are scum, and that's all they'll ever be!" Tashigi resolutely stated.

Deciding a snark comment wouldn't help his cause, he continued his questions. "If they're so strong, how'd they get separated? Don't most pirate crews stick together?"

"A few days ago, it was reported that several Supernovas were on Saboady conducting business, and suddenly ambushed one of the Tenryubito. Naturally, an admiral was summoned to take care of the problem, but then it turned out he needed back up. So Barthallemewl Kuma was summoned, and utterly defeated the Strawhats. They were separated as far as we know, but nothing concrete has been proven about their whereabouts with the exception of Nico Robin." Tashigi glared at the ground. "But that changed as well, we just got news that not only Fire-Fist Ace somehow broke out of Marineford, but he also aided in the rescue of Nico Robin and a revolutionary named Inazuna." Conan's eyes widened, Tsuru had to be the one feeding the information, it was carefully tailored to inform the key points, but hide the details.

"Tashigi." She and Conan looked up. "We're here."

"Yes sir!" She nodded and prodded Conan forward. "Let's go."

Elsewhere

A hooded figure stood proudly at the edge of the fast-moving ship, anxious to arrive at his destination. "Sir!" He turned to one of his men that approached him. "We will be arriving at Kenzan with two hours, sir!"

Nodding, the man replied. "Good. Has the boy been reported as well?"

"Yes sir." The lowly man nodded. "The detective-boy seems to be heading there on a Navy ship, he reasons are unknown; however we have confirmed information he was researching in Mariejois before he was pulled."

Smirking, the man nodded. "Let's see what the World Government's up to then."

With Conan

After docking the island, Conan stuck closely with Tashigi and Smoker, it was an interesting place. It reminded him of homes constructed on the inside of canyons where there was nothing but stone, no indoor plumbing, and treacherous climbs up and down to find food. The residents here were weird, they all stared and were covered in black cloaks, and there were mostly men and no women. Conan figured it most likely was from genetics. After following them through the town, Conan was lead to a sight that defied his greatest imagination; despite the fact that he thought he'd already seen it all.

"Yohoho! Welcome navy-travelers!" In front of the young detective was a skeleton man, dressed in a musician's tuxedo, and carried a violin. Conan stared and stared, until Smoker finally smacked him over the head.

"Don't be so shocked, it's just the devil fruit he ate." He huffed.

"There's a devil fruit that makes people come back to life?" The detective feebly responded.

"Sort of." Brook responded. "The Yomi Yomi no Mi. It allows me to retain this pseudo-immortality stage, it sure beats sanding my own bones!" The detective cringed at the horrible pun.

"Enough." Smoker huffed. "Where's Strawhat and the rest of your crew?"

Conan blinked. 'That's right, this guy's one of that Luffy-guy's crew.'

After a moment of silence, Brook spoke. "I'm afraid I don't know my captain's whereabouts. Please try again later, if you dare ask me about him again." Despite the cheerful tone, there was definite malice behind it.

"How dare you?" Tashigi stepped forward. "Know who you speak to, pirate-scum!"

Smoker blocked her. "That's enough, Tashigi." He turned to one of the leaders. "We'll be taking him to Marineford, I'll have your bounty paid right now." He then turned to Conan. "Tashigi and I have business to attend to, stay here, and don't cause any trouble." Conan nodded, and the two marines walked away.

Sighing, Conan turned to the skeleton-man. "So…what's your name?"

"My name is Brook, the ninth member of the Strawhat crew. And you are?" He asked cheerfully.

"Conan Edogawa." The boy nodded. "Nice to meet you, Brook-san."

"You too." He waved. "So what brings a young boy like you, to find a pirate like me?"

"To be honest…" Conan thought about it, and made a split decision. "Actually Brook-san, I need help."

"Oh?" The skeleton wasn't expecting that.

"I'll explain everything later, but for now, I'll make you a deal. I'll break you out of here, and you help me settle some problems." Conan glanced behind him as he whispered.

"Hohoho! Sounds tempting!" Cheered Brook, earning a shush from Conan. "But why are you willing to trust a pirate? Aren't you with the Navy?"

"It's complicated." The boy answered. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"What's your plan, don't want to step on any bones! Hohoho!" Laughed the skeleton.

"Ano…please stop with the Skelton puns, I can't think straight." Conan requested, eye twitching.

"Too funny for your hum-or-ous, huh?" Brook laughed out loud.

"He he…you up for listening now, or not?" Conan croaked, Brook quieted and motioned for Conan to continue. "Okay, I need you to follow my lead, all right?"

"Okay!" Brook gave him the thumbs up.

Conan looked around himself, and spotted one of the island men looking at Brook, running over to him, Conan tugged down on his robe. "Excuse me mister, what is he?"

"Oh dear child!" The man cried. "He's Satan, here to bring us to the depths of hell' luckily, these nice marines we'll taken him off our hands."

Smirking, Conan responded. "Really, is that so? Sir, I have a confession to make."

"What is it child?" The man asked.

"I have been cursed by the devil, and if I do not sail across the Grand Line with him, he will take my soul. I ask for mercy, and allow me to repent for my sins." God he had busted so many corrupted priests, it wasn't even funny.

"Oh I see!" The man glared at Brook, and ran to his cage. "How dare you? Taking advantage of a child's delicate soul!"

"Eh?" Brook cocked his head and turned to Conan. The boy gave a slight nod, and the skeleton relaxed.

"You're lucky, we have plenty of boats on this island, or you'd be in trouble!" The man exclaimed.

'How can he threaten a man who's supposedly Satan?' Conan sweat-dropped. "Sir, we need to start our journey as soon as possible. May we head off, now?"

"But what about the marines?" The man asked.

"Oh…they're his followers." The detective responded earning a gasp from the other. "They're just here to bust him out. But I have it on good authority, that Satan will be put down for good if my spirit proves strong enough for the journey ahead."

"Yosh!" The man fisted his hands together. "Let's do it!"

10min Later

Smoker and Tashigi stared stupidly at the empty cage in front of them, as well as realizing the child they picked up was gone. Slowly turning to the moronic man, Smoker asked in a low voice. "So, what caused you to think that a boy at the age eight, would know anything about Satan or traveling the Grand Line?"

"B-But, the signs were all there!" The man exclaimed. "The knowledge of Satan, the rituals of purification, the rite of-"

"Did the boy happen to suggest all of these things to you?" Tashigi pursed.

"Yes! He thought of everything!" The guy gave them a thumbs up, and then his face fell. "Oh."

Sighing, Tashigi turned to her superior. "What now, Sir?"

Taking a drag from his cigar, he sighed. "We follow them, they won't get far on the dingy."

With Conan and Brook

The young detective managed to steal the dingy, a small fan for a propeller, and a compass vy the time they left the island. But when Conan realized he didn't bring batteries for the fan, they had no map, and the compass wasn't working, he realized he and the skeleton would be completely lost. Out at sea, in the open ocean. "So Brook-san…any idea where we're going?" Conan asked.

"Nope! Nami-san was the navigator, and she was a real crack up!" He laughed. Conan twitched a little, what the hell was he thinking? Looking out into the ocean, he had to think. What was his next move? Should he gather more blackmail, or should he head for Blackbeard next? It was hard to say, since neither option was particularly valid at the moment. Deciding that it'd be best to dock an island first, and then make his move. Deciding to make conversation, he turned to Brook.

"I see…Brook-san…what's your role in the Strawhat crew exactly?" No harm in asking.

"Yohoho! I'm the musician!" He laughed, and magically pulled out a violin.

"Musician? I didn't know pirates had musicians in their crews." Conan blinked.

"Oh yes!" The skeleton replied. "It's a musician's job to the set the mood and spirit of the whole ship, otherwise, no one will know how to feel."

"How to feel?" The detective repeated.

"Yes! The music guides the setting of the event, allowing people to process their emotions, and come to an understanding about themselves." Brook explained. "Does that make sense?"

"Kind of." Conan replied. "So…Brook-san…would it be okay if I asked a few questions about your crew?"

"You can ask, but I can't promise I'll answer." The musician replied.

Nodding, Conan looked up at him. "Well…as I said on the island…I'm in a bit of a mess, and I need help getting out of it. I'm not asking you or your crew for help, but any information you have would be helpful."

"What are your problems, exactly?" The skeleton asked.

"I'm not sure how to explain…but I got into some trouble with the Navy and World Government." Conan sighed. "You see…I was kidnapped by the Navy because they wanted me to solve a mystery, when I researched the Navy I found out a bunch of stuff about the World Government. In those files, the name of the Strawhat crew came up a lot, so I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."

"Yohoho! I don't see why not! Ask away!" Brook said cheerfully.

"Okay. So why is the Strawhat crew so important to the Navy? Is there something different about your crew compared to other pirates?" An obvious question, and Conan knew of some of their exploits, but it probably be better if he heard it from one of them.

"Yohoho! There's a lot of things about us that make us different from other pirate crews!" Brook cheered. "But what stand out the most about us, is our way of life!"

"Way of life?" Conan raised a brow.

"Yes! We are indeed are a pirate crew, but we're more than that." The skeleton said. "We're a family." Conan's eyes widened, he hadn't been expecting that. He knew Whitebeard's crew was similar to that style, but there was still a structure of command.

"So, the Strawhat crew's like Whitebeard-san's? Huge and full of commanders?" Conan asked.

"Nonono! Nothing like that!" Brook waved his hands in front of himself. "We're not a huge crew, in fact, we're one of the smallest crew's on the Grand Line. There are only nine of us, after all." Conan fell over from that. Nine crew members? How the hell could the Navy and World Government be freaking out over nine people? Noticing the boy's shock, Brook continued. "I see you're surprised; you should be. I was shocked with how powerful they were when I first joined, especially our captain."

"Monkey D. Luffy?" Conan asked.

"Yoho! You've heard of my captain?" Brook asked.

"Yeah. He was mentioned quite a lot. The most recent article I read was about him, breaking into Impel Down." Conan looked down slightly. "I was being held there myself; your captain must be extremely powerful and strong ot get through such people."

"Hoho! He is indeed. How'd you escape from Impel Down?" Brook asked suspiciously.

"Whitebeard-san's crew attacked, thinking one of their crewmembers were there. They took me onto their ship out of pity, and I was then kidnapped again by the Navy. They were the people I came to Kenzan island with." It was a roughly made up story, the boy thought.

"Ah! I see! So you need my crew's help in your problems!" Brook concluded. "We can help you!"

"Er…Thanks." Conan managed to smile, but he didn't even know what to do at this point, though. "Do you really think you and your crewmates would be up for it? When I was at Impel Down, a marine mentioned something about a guy named Kuma who attacked you guys. Is that true? Would you guys really be ready to fight after that?"

"I see word travels fast." Brook sighed. "Yes, all of that is true. We were attacked, beaten, and separated by Bartholomew Kuma…actually that's not quite true." Conan listened. "We initially beat Kuma, but then another one of him appeared." Conan blinked. "It took everything we had to defeat one of them, and when another appeared, we were naturally outmatched."

"How could there be more than one Kuma?" The detective asked shocked.

"…The Bartholomew Kuma we attacked wasn't human…nor was the one that beat us." Brook sadly explained, and sighed at Conan's widened eyes. "The thing we beat was nothing but a robot, a cyborg, and so was the next one that attacked us."

"H-How can that be?" The detective we beyond shocked at this point. He had heard of androids, cyborgs, and what not, but they were beyond what his universe was capable of at the moment. "H-How could that be possible?"

"I don't know. The World Government have always been crafty, old bastards. Even when I was alive." Brook replied.

"When you were alive?" The detective repeated.

"Yes! I wasn't always a skeleton, yah know!" He laughed. "About fity years ago, I too was alive, well, and in a different crew. We were the Rumbar pirates, we were a crew of musicians!"

"What happened?" Conan asked.

"We got sick, everyone on the crew died, including myself. A horrible plague struck us down, as soon as we reached the Grand Line." The musician looked down, remembering the sad events. "Before my death, I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi. It allows me to come back to life after I die…only once though."

"How'd you become a skeleton?" Conan asked.

"My body just naturally wasted away. After my crew died, I had no food, so nature took its course. I guess I was the main dish! Yohohoho!" The musician laughed.

"So you can eat then?" Conan asked curiously.

"Sort of." Brook replied. "It depends on what really."

"I see." The boy nodded. "So you're happy then?"

"Yohoho! Of course! I haven't felt this happy since I joined the Rumbar pirates!" Brook happily exclaimed. "I must find my crewmates, and comfort them with music."

Thinking about it, Conan concluded that finding more these fearsome pirates would probably prove beneficial. "Do you have any idea, where your other crewmates are?"

"No idea. When Kuma attacked, he sent us flying in all sorts of directions. But don't worry, once we assemble, we'll help you! Any enemy of the Navy is a friend of ours!" Brook reassured him.

Conan sweat-dropped. "Good to know."

With Smoker

"Sir! Why have we stopped chasing them?" Tashigi asked frantically. The woman had right to be nervous, they were on hot pursuit of a dingy, but then they suddenly stopped and let a cold hog engulf the far-out object, leaving them out of sight of the marines.

"Tashigi! They're heading for a whirlpool field, they'll be dead soon enough anyways." Smoker puffed annoyed. "Now, how am I going to explain this to those assholes above?" He didn't want a missing kid on his record.

With Conan and Brook

Oh boy, was Smoker right! Brook and Conan were hanging on for their lives, and soon their little dingy wouldn't be much more. The skeleton suddenly latched onto Conan, and crouched into a kneeling position. "Hold tight!"

"What-" No sooner than Brook said that, that Conan found himself being flung into the air like a bungee-ride at an amusement park. He looked up and realized Brook was carrying him. The skeleton could jump high, most likely because he didn't have any weight except for his clothes. Panic struck the detective when they started plummeting.

Feeling his companion's fear, Brook spoke. "Yohoho! No worries, someone's coming for us!"

"How do you know?" Conan demanded, thinking he was going to die.

"I just do!" Brook exclaimed.

Just as they were about to hit the water, they landed on something hard and strangely featherly. "Brook!" Conan and the skeleton-pirate unraveled themselves, and they were face to face with something almost as strange as the skeleton. At least in Conan's opinion.

"Chopper-kun!" Brook hugged the little guy. Conan stared; this 'Chopper' was mini-sized deer humanoid, with a big pink top hat and pink shorts, and a blue nose. He was adorable, but strange. Brook turned Chopper's attention to Conan. "Chopper-kun! This is my new friend, Conan Edogawa-kun!"

"Really?" The reindeer asked he smiled and went up to the boy, holding out a hoof. "I'm Tony Tony Chopper, great to meet yah!"