Brook's skeletal grin widened, and for some reason, it sent a chill down the spines of the cackling Kurozumi Higurashi and the stoic, biwa-plucking Kurozumi Semimaru. A bad feeling crept over them.
"Yohoho! I've gotta hand it to you two—you've locked yourselves up nice and tight!"
Brook sauntered over, effortlessly hoisting the transparent hemispherical barrier that trapped the Kurozumi siblings. For a skeleton like him, the weight of two old-timers plus their barrier was nothing!
"Since you're being so cooperative."
With a gleeful chuckle, Brook lifted the barrier and shook it like a maraca, sending the siblings tumbling inside. Round and round they went, dizzy and disoriented, their souls practically chasing their spinning bodies!
Open the barrier? Brook would cut them down. Keep it closed? They'd endure his torment. Did these smug old geezers really think a 21st-century, upstanding skeleton like him couldn't outsmart them?
"Did you think I'd be as dense as Kozuki Oden?" Brook taunted.
If it weren't for Rocks rushing to the scene, Brook would've had time to starve or dehydrate them—trap them like rats in a fountain, One Piece style! Or simpler yet, toss them, barrier and all, into the sea. Let Semimaru strum his biwa underwater! Let Higurashi smirk through the bubbles!
For extra fun, Brook mused, he could roast them with fire, freeze them with ice, or boil them like frogs in warm water. The Barrier-Barrier Fruit might deflect magma, but could it block heat transfer? Brook was itching to find out.
Semimaru, still gritting his teeth, refused to drop the barrier. Brook shrugged and plopped the whole thing onto Hera, his Cloud, whisking the siblings back to the Golden Ark.
"Mission accomplished, and then some!" Brook crowed. A Barrier-Barrier Fruit user and a Clone-Clone Fruit user—buy one, get one free! What a steal!
...
The Rocks Pirates' officers tried to intervene, but their own battles kept them pinned. No one could lend a hand as Brook hauled off the Kurozumi siblings.
Golden Lion Shiki, in particular, was having a rough time. Skal's fists and iron-hard head were pummeling him to the brink. That damn headbutt was so tough even Shiki's Ryuo Haki couldn't dent it!
Skal's Armament Haki was the real deal, honed through years of grueling training, flowing naturally like water filling a vessel. Shiki, on the other hand, relied on Wano's Ryuo technique. It mimicked Haki emission, but it was no match for Skal's overflowing reserves.
In Wano, every stray cat and dog seemed to know Ryuo, but out in the New World, raw power often trumped technique. A weakling with Ryuo couldn't outmuscle a hardened pirate without it.
Haki capacity varied by physique. Take Straw Hat Luffy—his Fourth Gear burned through Haki so fast he'd collapse mid-fight, panting for recovery. Then there was Demon's Heir Bullet, whose monstrous constitution let him coat an entire island or a thousand-meter-tall fused giant in Armament Haki.
Haki quality came down to raw strength. The tougher the fighter, the harder their Haki. Zoro's black blade could slice through Pica's Armament Haki defenses, and Katakuri's Haki could crush Luffy's fists, leaving him howling in pain.
The real legends—Roger, Whitebeard, Aokiji, Akainu—could sling top-tier Haki for days without breaking a sweat. Ace and Jinbe? They were more about stamina than Haki mastery.
...
Back on the battlefield, Shiki's pride was taking a beating as Skal hammered him relentlessly. At his age, Shiki's Haki reserves were still developing. Even with the know-how for Conqueror's Haki Coiling, he hadn't reached the level to wield it. For now, he was stuck eating Skal's iron headbutts.
After carting the Kurozumi siblings to the Golden Ark, Brook kept up the fruit ower until they were battered and bruised, too dizzy to resist. Semimaru's will finally broke—escape was hopeless. The "invincible" barrier shattered, and Brook ordered his crew to slap Seastone cuffs on the siblings and lock them in Parrot's castle.
Glancing at the battlefield, Brook assessed the situation. Shiki was getting clobbered and needed backup. Whitebeard Newgate was holding his own against Sandy in a brutal stalemate.
Redfield and Linlin were each handling two opponents, even gaining a slight edge. The rest of the fights were back-and-forth, with no one dominating like Brook had against the siblings.
Not that he was proud of picking on two old folks—hardly the gentlemanly conduct of a 21st-century skeleton! But a pirate's gotta do what a pirate's gotta do.
Shiki's beating aside, Brook wasn't eager to jump in. First, Shiki's arrogance needed a reality check. Second, Skal was a tanky brawler—tough, relentless, perfect for drawn-out fights. Third, Brook had his eye on the next Devil Fruit user. With Rocks closing in, time was short. He needed to cripple the enemy fast.
Rocket Jonas, wielder of the Jet-Jet Fruit, could blast air from his hands and feet for speed. Weak fruit, strong fighter.
Grimm Vane, with his Ancient Zoan Titan Ape form, was a powerhouse of raw physicality—offense and defense in one brutal package.
Sandy, the Skeleton fruit user, had an unknown Superhuman Fruit that let him control the skulls of his kills, sending them flying to bite enemies. A Little Giant by blood, his strength, durability, and fighting skills were top-notch, amplified by his skull attacks.
Sandy's bone-manipulating power intrigued Brook most, but he was a tough nut to crack. Could Brook take him down before Rocks arrived?
Lost in thought, Brook snapped back to reality as Shiki went flying, courtesy of another of Skal's headbutts, spitting blood. No time to strategize—Brook rushed to support his cocky comrade.
This guy could fly and control earth, a mage-assassin hybrid, yet he insisted on trading blows with a tank like Skal. Was this some "real man" showdown nonsense?
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg