Golden Lion Shiki crashed into the ground, barely dodging a flurry of ferocious strikes from Skal. Pale and shaken, he took to the air, interrupting Skal's relentless combo.
Whoosh!
Brook soared past on his nimbus cloud, Hera, a streak of blue lightning. Skal reacted instantly, his iron-hard fist clashing with Brook's Shichiseiken in a brief but explosive exchange.
Brook slowly sheathed Shichiseiken. Behind Skal, a massive, ice-rimmed trench stretched dozens of meters, carved by the slash's raw power.
Skal glanced at his Armament Haki-coated fist, unscathed on the surface. Yet his face twisted in agony. Why did it hurt so much?
"Swordplay's just the warm-up, my friend. The real treat is my soul slash. The last guy to taste it was Admiral Kong himself!" Brook said, turning to face Skal with a grin.
Skal's right fist, still wrapped in flowing Armament Haki, trembled uncontrollably. His face paled further.
"Your soul slash broke through my Haki? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Captain Rocks said Haki's the ultimate power—no Devil Fruit can overcome it!"
Skal glared at Brook, fury mixing with disbelief. His fist felt like it had been split in two, yet it looked intact, Haki still coursing through it.
"Yohoho! Well, today's your lucky day—you get to witness a soul slash that ignores Haki defenses! Care for another taste?"
Brook leapt off Hera, sprinting across the ground. His left hand steadied his scabbard while his right gripped Shichiseiken's hilt. Ghostly blue aura seeped from the sheath, glowing with eerie light.
Seeing Brook charge again, Skal wasn't about to test his Haki against that uncanny soul attack. He retreated fast, plunging both hands into the earth.
The ground erupted as Skal heaved up a massive slab, using it as a shield. He seized the moment to rush toward the Hell Pirates' crew, aiming to grab a hostage to force Brook's hand.
Clang!
Brook's blade sliced through the earthen wall like butter, charging straight for Skal. His eyes glowed a spectral blue, veins pulsing with faint azure light, leaving a trail of icy mist in his wake.
Skal felt a chill down his spine. Without a second thought, he dove into a clumsy roll, tumbling several times before scrambling to his feet and sprinting away.
Brook hadn't expected Skal's desperate dodge. Was it instinct? A sixth sense? Or the fabled Observation Haki that could glimpse the future?
Skal's panicked sprint didn't scream "calm foresight," though. No way he was tapping into future-seeing Haki in that state. It had to be raw battle experience—Skal was a survivor, after all, having escaped Vesper's clutches multiple times. His knack for dodging danger was uncanny.
...
"Brook, you trying to start an all-out war with the Rocks Pirates?"
Skal, now at a safe distance, eyed Brook warily. That soul slash was incomprehensible—how could it bypass Armament Haki? Until he figured out Brook's weakness, he wasn't risking another hit. His fist still throbbed with phantom pain.
"Yohoho! Aren't you the ones invading the Overlord Alliance's turf? You Rocks Pirates have been slaughtering civilians left and right—it's enough to make my blood boil! Well, if I had any blood, that is!"
Brook had no patience for bantering with a brutal pirate like Skal. Rocks could show up any minute, and while sniper Silva hadn't signaled yet, that meant they still had some time—but not much.
Skal, meanwhile, was kicking himself. Why had he listened to Miss Bukkin and wasted time raiding and pillaging? He should've linked up with Captain Rocks from the start.
Speaking of, where was Miss Bukkin?
Skal scanned the battlefield. No sign of her. Had she slipped into the island's towns to hide?
Not a bad idea. Brook was whining about civilian deaths, right? Perfect. They could retreat to the towns, use the locals as shields, and drag this out until Rocks arrived. Why go toe-to-toe when they could play dirty?
"Rocks Pirates, fall back to the town! We'll fight a guerrilla war and hold out until the captain gets here!"
Skal didn't wait for the others, bolting toward the town. He was a pirate—killing a few civilians was nothing. Let's see if Brook had the guts to avoid collateral damage now, haha!
...
Skal's shout clicked with the Rocks Pirates. Take civilians hostage? Brilliant. Sure, this was Saracha's turf, but would that stop Brook? They weren't sure, but they followed Skal's lead, fighting as they retreated from the port to the town.
Most of the island's residents were still cowering in their homes, trembling. They'd hoped the pirates would loot and leave, but now they were back, clashing with another crew. Panic spread as locals cursed their rotten luck and unfair fate.
The damned Butcher Pirates, who collected protection fees every month, were nowhere to be seen. The island's lord or ruling family—everyone was cursing Saracha for being utterly useless!
...
Miss Bukkin had indeed slipped into the town. After her Den Den Mushi call with Rocks, she knew he wasn't coming anytime soon. Fleeing by ship was no good either—the Hell Pirates' Golden Ark would outrun anything.
As the crew's sharpest navigator, Bukkin valued her life too much to throw it away. She'd stashed piles of treasure and hadn't even gotten to enjoy it yet—dying for Rocks? No thanks.
A frail, helpless little lady like her couldn't possibly meddle in a brawl between big-shot pirates. Staying safe was her greatest contribution to the Rocks Pirates, obviously!
But Bukkin hadn't counted on Skal's quick thinking. Less than half an hour in, and he'd pivoted to a drawn-out town skirmish. Great—now she was getting dragged back into the fight!
Fine. If they were heading to the town, she'd sneak back to the port. Maybe she could slip away with the ship—and its hoard of treasure—to rendezvous with Rocks.
Unbeknownst to her, a lone parrot perched atop the Rocks ship...