Episode 381

"A New Crewmate! - The Musician "Humming Brook"" is the 381st episode of the One Piece anime.
==Short Summary==
Brook pledges himself to the Straw Hat Pirates, becoming their ninth member, as the crew settles their affairs at Thriller Bark and continue their journey.
==Long Summary==
Brook told Monkey D. Luffy that he was truly glad to be alive despite the trials he had experienced since reviving over 50 years before. Brook asked if Luffy's original invitation to join the Straw Hat Pirates was still open, and Luffy accepted him as part of the crew. All the Straw Hat Pirates were shocked by this, except for Roronoa Zoro, who was sleeping, and Nico Robin, who knew Luffy would accept him no matter what, but they nevertheless welcomed him to the crew. Brook fully introduced himself, revealing he is a wanted pirate himself, with a bounty of 33,000,000, though it's highly unlikely the Marines would identify him by his bones.
Two days later, Usopp and Franky made a grave for the dead Rumbar Pirates. Brook is glad that his comrades finally have a resting place, especially since the soil at Thriller Bark is from their native West Blue; the Thousand Sunny wasn't big enough to store their remains anyway. He then spent some time playing the violin, when Zoro arrived. Zoro then planted the broken Yubashiri at the grave and joined Brook in his mourning. Zoro and Brook finally had a chance to get acquainted; Zoro teasingly pitied the skeleton, saying he's now part of a crazy crew.
Eventually, the Straw Hats were ready to depart. Lola told everybody she wished they could party just a little longer. Franky told her that the Thriller Bark Victim's Association can use Brook's ship, on which he repaired the rudder and sails. Lola asked Franky to marry her, but he politely declined, saying he's "too super" for such to work out. Lola then gave Nami a Vivre Card, which points the way to her mother, a pirate in the New World.
Luffy took out the piece of paper he received from his brother, Portgas D. Ace, which turned out to also be a Vivre Card. To their surprise, Ace's card was burning and shrinking, a sign that Ace's life was in danger. As Luffy and his crew sail away, three enormous and mysterious figures appeared in the fog, looking over Thriller Bark. The Victims decided to set sail the next day.
Nami asked Luffy if he's alright sailing on knowing Ace might be in danger. Brook said he doesn't mind a detour, while others like Franky expressed interest in taking Brook straight to Laboon. Believing that Ace can get out of trouble on his own, Luffy decided to head onward rather than go to rescue him. He says Ace doesn't like looking weak, and he wanted to meet him in the New World at full strength as a rival. The Straw Hats shared another toast for Brook, since Zoro was asleep during the first one, and take a Coup de Burst for a jump-start to their next adventure.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Anime Notes==
*On Crocus's newspaper, the article of Iceburg's search for a new secretary can be seen. Moda, her parents, and Vice Admiral Comil can be seen on the newspaper as well.
*With Brook officially joining the Straw Hats, this episode marks the debut of his eyecatcher. Additionally, Zoro's eyecatcher is updated with his memorialized katana Yubashiri being replaced with Shusui.
*In the manga, Lola nearly spots the large unknown ominous entity lurking in the fog.
*This is the last episode of the Thriller Bark Arc.
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