Brook's Past A Sad Farewell with His Cheerful Comrade

Brook's early backstory is presented in Episode 379, titled "Brook's Past A Sad Farewell with His Cheerful Comrade." The episode flashes back to his years with the Rumbar Pirates and the whale Laboon.

Episode 379 turns the spotlight onto Brook's earliest years, recalling how the whale Laboon attached himself to the Rumbar Pirates and grew fond of the crew. It centers on a tender promise sealed at Reverse Mountain before the crew was forced to leave the young whale behind.

In Episode 379, the young whale Laboon attached himself to the Rumbar Pirates' vessel and grew fond of everyone aboard. He became a companion to the crew before they set their heading for the Grand Line.

The Rumbar Pirates felt forced to part with Laboon because the waters of the Grand Line carried too much danger for an animal still so young. Refusing to be left, Laboon chased the ship across the slopes of Reverse Mountain anyway.

Brook and his captain vowed that once the Rumbar Pirates had sailed the full length of the Grand Line, and once Laboon had grown sturdy enough to keep pace, they would return to carry him along on every adventure ahead. Episode 379 makes plain that this was a promise they were never able to honor.