Y'ALL BETTER BUZZ OFF

A spiky-haired man with a fierce grin shouts, "TEACH HIM GOOD MANNERS AND HOW TO SPEAK PROPERLY." A voice replies, "YOU GOT IT, LORD LEIVEN!!" The man continues, "CANDELLE, MAKE BROOK YOUR PAGE..." Brook's childhood appears in a panel labeled "BROOK'S CHILDHOOD." Young Brook with an afro excitedly holds a sword and says, "WOW! THE PALACE..." while hearts and sparkles surround him. An older woman with long hair tells him, "CUT IT OUT." Young Brook responds, "ER, NOT HER... THREE HOTTIES, TWO HOTTIES... ...IS PACKED WITH CUTE BABES!!" A woman yells, "BROOK!!" as young Brook asks, "YO, LEMME SEE YOUR PANTIES." Another voice says, "THAT'S LADY CANDELLE! YOU'RE STILL NUMBER ONE, CANDELLE!" and "DON'T WORRY! YOU'RE STILL NUMBER ONE, CANDELLE!"

A smiling blonde woman looks on as young Brook sleeps with "Zzz" sounds. In another scene, young Brook plays a guitar for a group including the blonde woman, who says, "DON'T WORRY THOUGH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ROCKING A GUARD CORPS UNIFORM ONE DAY!!" and "IF I LET THAT SCHOOL CRAMP MY STYLE, I WON'T BE ABLE TO JAM AND MAKE GOOD TUNES ANYMORE!!" She asks, "HEY, DO YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH WEARING YOUR SCHOOL UNIFORM?" A man states, "THERE IS ONE MAN, BUT HE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE." The blonde asks, "LADY CANDELLE, DO YOU HAVE A TYPE OF GUY YOU GO FOR?" Young Brook swings a sword wildly while exclaiming, "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS KID GETS TO BE LADY CANDELLE'S PAGE!" A voice replies, "GOTTA ADMIT, I'M JEALOUS!!" Young Brook laughs, "YOHO HO HO!!" The blonde woman thinks, "THAT'S NOT NECESSARY. BEING NEAR HIM IS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME." Young Brook asks, "HUH? NEAR HIM? DOES THAT MEAN..." She continues, "I BET YOU'D GET HIM IF YOU DRESSED MORE LIKE A CHICK INSTEAD OF A DUDE!!" and "...IS TO BE BY HIS SIDE. STILL, THE REASON I TRAIN SO HARD WITH THE SWORD..."

Young Brook shouts, "BROOK!! REALLY?! THEN YOU'VE GOTTA LEMME SEE YOUR PANTIES!!" Candelle responds, "I DON'T." He presses, "LADY CANDELLE, DON'T TELL ME YOU EVEN WEAR MEN'S UNDERWEAR?" She snaps, "OF COURSE NOT!!" Young Brook cheers, "...IT'S ME?" Candelle scolds, "YOUR LANGUAGE IS NOT IMPROVING... YOU HAVE TO BE POLITE AND USE HONORIFICS WHEN YOU ASK SOMEONE A FAVOR!" Young Brook asks, "WOULD YOU BE SO KIND... ...AS TO SHOW ME YOUR PANTIES?" Candelle sighs, "GOOD GRIEF..." Young Brook plays guitar happily while saying, "WHO DOESN'T ADMIRE LADY CANDELLE... THERE'S NOT A SOUL AROUND..." In the background, townsfolk react with surprise as chaos erupts with a horse and debris. Candelle tells young Brook, "I MEAN... I SHALL ENDEAVOR TO GIVE IT MY ALL! WHAT?! THEN I'LL DO MY BEST!!" Young Brook replies, "STRENGTH AND ETIQUETTE GO HAND IN HAND."

The kingdom was thrown into panic, as no one had ever dealt directly with people of such stature. There was this one time a World Government ship drifted up here in Esperia. Now that I think about it... She shines like the sun over the whole nation!! The Celestial Dragons...? Lady Candelle was actually bedridden for a few months after that, probably due to the stress... Yep!! The pressure was overwhelming!! You wouldn't believe how dark the kingdom felt back then!! Yoho ho ho!! I shouldn't laugh, but it really was like the sun set on our kingdom! You wouldn't believe the influx of news that followed, Princess!! But that was just the beginning!!

...He married your mother, Lady Candelle!! And at the same time... ...ascended the throne!! Your father, the renowned rugged Prince... The celebrations across Esperia were as thrilling as a live concert!! The nation positively bubbled over with joy!! People were always saying: 'I wanna see her face!' or 'She's so cute!' or 'She takes after her mother!' ...Princess Shuri!! Yeah!! And then we were blessed by your birth... Oops! I'm getting off topic... But you get the picture... That's why I love your folks!! They're my ultimate benefactors!! In fact, I'd gladly relinquish my life for those two!! Check out my latest hit, 'Relinquish Rock' ♪

I'd lay down my life in a heartbeat for you too! That's obvious!! What would you do if I were in danger? Mommy and Daddy... Mommy and Daddy... So, Brook... Is that just 'cause I'm their daughter? Hmph!! You're supposed to say that wholeheartedly, without hesitation!! No... It's because you're you!! .....!!! Use Father instead!! You're not a little girl anymore!! Hey, Daddy!! Love you too, Father!!

Ahaha, why do those lyrics sound so weird? Y'all better buzz off!! You know you can always vent it out with a song like this...? Princess Shuri, if you're craving freedom from your parents... Y'all better buzz off!! It's a dialect from a kingdom in the west called Kamigata. Turned around by sweets! We ain't kids. We ain't pups, bought off with treats!!

In Shuri's fifteenth year, Brook plays his violin and reacts with surprise. "HUH? IT'S OUT OF TUNE...?" A thick mist shrouded the country and lingered for half a year. Music died in the kingdom of Esperia. The land's treasured instruments decayed as the mist turned to smog. The island was swallowed whole. Scenes of the once-grand kingdom of Esperia show buildings and ships engulfed in toxic smog with sound effects like "ゴゴゴゴ..." and "ゴオ...". People cough and collapse as the fog claims lives. Shuri appears determined, shouting "THE FOG WILL CLEAR!! IT MUST!!" while others suffer around her. Brook, holding a guitar, declares with a grin, "LET'S BRING ON THE MUSIC-KOFF!! YEAH!!" as joyful melodies once echoed through the streets but now the toxic smog ravaged the lungs of tens of thousands.

The kingdom knew nothing but suffering. Even after the fog had lifted, the scars remained. A framed portrait of Shuri hangs amid flowers and mourners. Beset by one unimaginable tragedy after another, the people of Esperia grieve. Close-up panels show a scarred, enraged man, a figure kneeling at a grave with a cross, a hand clutching a skull-like mask, and Shuri crying out in anguish with tears streaming down her face. In the present, Brook stands before a grand castle on a cliff as citizens protest. "...THIS HEAVENLY TRIBUTE... BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY THEM!!" "YOUR HIGHNESS...!! WE STILL OWE THE GOVERNMENT..."

Brook clashes swords with Shuri in a fierce duel, sparks flying as he shouts "WHOA THERE!!" Shuri yells "HIYAH!!" Nearby panels show them in a forest. Shuri speaks to Brook: "FATHER... HE SEEMS TROUBLED LATELY." "...PLEASED AT THE NOTION OF YOU FIGHTING ON THE FRONT LINES, PRINCESS... I THINK YOU WOULD BE WELL-SUITED FOR THAT, BUT I DOUBT YOUR FATHER WOULD BE..." Brook runs excitedly, declaring "EHEHE!! I'M GONNA BE JUST LIKE MOMMY... I MEAN, MOTHER!!" Shuri replies, "PRINCESS, THE WAY YOU MOVE, SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE YOU CAN SEE THE FUTURE!" Later, Brook smiles and says, "I'M HAPPY TO PUT MY OWN DREAMS ON HOLD WHILE I REPAY MY DEBT TO HIS MAJESTY. I WILL SIMPLY FOLLOW THE KING TO THE VERY END...!!" Shuri responds, "I HAVE AN IDEA WHY, BUT THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT." Brook adds, "HM... WHEN THE TIME COMES, I'M GOING WITH YOU!" as Shuri insists "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!"

Brook, now a fierce commander with wild hair and a fur-collared coat, declares "THIS MEANS WAR. THE WORLD GOVERNMENT IS OUR ENEMY." A shocked voice responds "WHAT?!" In a flashback, Brook is addressed as "COMMANDER!!" and replies "UNDERSTOOD." He stands before angry citizens and officials. One man pleads, "YOUR MAJESTY, I JUST ASK THAT YOU TELL US YOUR REASONING FIRST!" Brook's scarred face appears as narration states the government's armada will arrive in two months. Citizens shout "NO WAY...!!" "SLAVERY IN THE HOLY LAND WOULD BE A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH." "THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THEY WOULD WAIVE THIS YEAR'S HEAVENLY TRIBUTE." "!? THEY DEMANDED ONE THOUSAND SLAVES." Brook refuses, stating he has no intention of choosing human sacrifices.

A curly-haired musician plays his guitar and sings energetically about distant lands and old tales. "I'VE HEARD...♪ THERE'S ALL THESE TALES! ♪" he belts out, with musical notes floating around him. Nearby listeners react with concern. "APPARENTLY THERE WAS ONCE ANOTHER NATION THAT DISAPPEARED TOO..." one says. "ARE THEY REALLY GONNA LOOT US FOR EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT?" another asks. "DON'T ALL NON-MEMBER NATIONS TURN INTO LAWLESS ZONES?" questions a third. "IS OUR COUNTRY DONE FOR, COMMANDER?" a villager wonders. The singer continues: "OUT WHERE THE DEADLY SEA-WIND WAILS! ♪" as the crowd watches. In the next scene the musician leaps across rooftops still playing, singing "LIKE A MEAN OL' BEE, ♪ A STING AND THEY'LL FLEE! ♪" and "IT EXISTS LIKE ALL THE TALES SPOKE! ♪" while the town burns in the background. "THEY SAY TO CONSIDER YOUR VIEWS," a voice notes. Soldiers rush in shouting "THEY'VE LANDED ON THE NORTHERN PORT!! PLATOON 12, INTERCEPT!!" A large man laughs wildly: "HEY, THAT'S RIGHT!! WAHA HA HA HA HA!!" and declares "'CAUSE WE'VE GOT NOTHIN' LEFT TO LOSE! ♪"

Chaos erupts as raiders attack. "AW MAN... PRINCESS... THE GARDEN WE ALWAYS WALKED IN..." a man cries while firing a gun. "IT'S A RAIDER!!" someone shouts. "DON'T YOU HAVE ANY CRAZY IDEAS NOW, PRINCESS!!" a man in a hat warns. A blonde woman with a weapon yells "WHY CAN'T I FIGHT TOO?!" as flames rise from the palace. "THE ENEMY HAS BREACHED THE PALACE!! COMMANDER!" a soldier reports. The curly-haired guitarist runs through the fray, sword drawn, while a black horned creature rampages. "THAT'S OUT OF THE QUESTION!! WE'LL BE AT THEIR MERCY IF THEY CAPTURE YOU!!" someone insists. "I'LL HOLD THE BARRICADE AT THE STAIRCASE!!" another vows. Explosions rock the area as the guitarist fights, sweat flying. "OUR NAME AIN'T SOMETHIN' THAT CAN BE WIPED WITH EASE," he growls. A massive blast sends enemies flying. "...AIN'T GONNA BE NO BREEZE!" he shouts as the black creature looms and the palace burns. "YOU'LL FIND TAKIN' OUR HOME..." a voice threatens amid the rubble.

Inside a grand hall, a winged woman stands over a fallen figure while a massive black creature with horns looms in the background. "IT'S ALREADY OVER, BROOK. WORRIED ABOUT THE WAR?" a voice asks. The curly-haired guitarist, now bloodied and exhausted, grips his sword tightly. A close-up shows a horned man's shocked face. "AREN'T YOU HAPPY?" the winged woman asks. The guitarist stares in horror. "WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" a bloodied man demands. The final panels show close-ups of the blonde woman, the horned man, and the spiky-haired figure's intense reaction as the chapter ends.