Brook suddenly raised his head, his entire skeleton trembling violently, as if a massive stream of information had been forcibly injected into the depths of his consciousness.
His jawbone unconsciously opened and closed, making soft "clack-clack" sounds.
Several seconds passed before the violent trembling slowly subsided.
Brook seemed to rediscover the world; he "looked" at his bony hands, then "looked" at his companions around him, his voice distorted by extreme shock:
"This... this is... Yohohoho... incredible... to think there's such a power in the world... that perfectly suits me..."
Brook excitedly turned to the others and began to explain the unimaginable ability he had just acquired:
"Everyone! The system I awakened is — the 'Strongest Underworld Summoning System'!"
Just the name itself seemed to drop the temperature around them by several degrees.
"As long as I collect 'Fear Points' generated by others because of me," Brook explained, gesticulating excitedly with his bony fingers,
"I can consume these Fear Points to perform random summons from the Underworld, calling forth powerful ghosts to assist in battle! Yohohoho!"
He paused, then added an even more astonishing detail: "And, the summoned ghosts can retain about half of their strength from when they were alive!"
"That's not all!"
Brook's voice rose with excitement, "The best part is! While the ghosts exist in the living world, any damage I take will be borne by the summoned ghosts! Until they dissipate or I cancel the summon!"
"And the more Fear Points consumed, the stronger the potential of the summoned ghosts, providing even more powerful temporary assistance! Yohohoho!"
After Brook excitedly finished his explanation, he found the deck had fallen into a deathly silence.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper huddled together, their faces pale, teeth chattering.
"Fear Points + 100!"
"Fear Points + 100!"
Nami's voice trembled as she broke the silence: "This... this isn't some Underworld Summoning System... this is clearly a 'Ghost Bodyguard System'! It's... it's too scary!"
Usopp stammered, picking up the conversation: "Summoning... summoning dead powerhouses back to fight... and... and letting ghosts take damage for you?! This ability... it's too heaven-defying, isn't it?! It's practically immortality!"
But the thought of ghosts made his legs tremble!
"Fear Points + 100!"
"Yohohohoho! In just a moment, I've already collected 300 Fear Points!" Brook also looked at the few people, very excited!
It seemed collecting Fear Points was not difficult for him; it was very suitable!
Even Zoro and Sanji showed grave and astonished expressions, clearly shaken by the strangeness and power of this ability.
Captain Ron looked at Brook and nodded with satisfaction: "It seems this gift is perfect for you, Brook."
Brook looked at the system before him, which was very compatible with the Revive-Revive Fruit, and bowed deeply and solemnly to Captain Ron and all his companions:
"My deepest gratitude! Captain Ron! My companions! This power... I will surely use it well! Yohohoho—!!!"
The eerie laughter echoed in the thick fog, as a skeleton musician capable of summoning an army of the undead and having ghosts die in his stead officially became a fighting force for the Straw Hat!
Subsequently,
After explaining his 'Strongest Underworld Summoning System,' which could be called heaven-defying,
Brook seemed to sense something; his bony finger tapped the area of his temple, though there was only bone there, emitting a light "clack" sound.
"Yohohoho~ Speaking of which, I seem to have just collected... hmm... a full three hundred Fear Points!"
This discovery made him eager to try it out.
"Everyone, since we have ready-made Fear Points, why don't we try this summoning system now? Let's see what kind of ghost we can summon from the Underworld? If it's a legendary pirate, we'd hit the jackpot!"
Everyone was also eager, all looking at Brook, anticipating his summon,
He moved his mind slightly, as if browsing an invisible interface, and explained to everyone:
"The options in front of me indicate that the minimum consumption is in units of one hundred Fear Points, with no upper limit!
The more consumed, the stronger the summoned ghost's theoretical power!"
Looking at the "100," "200," "300" options, Brook seemed a bit hesitant.
After all, these initial Fear Points were hard-earned.
"Let's try one hundred points first!" Although Nami was still a little scared, her curiosity was stronger, "Let's see what the lowest consumption can bring?"
"That's right, that's right!" Usopp echoed from behind Zoro, "Consider it a beginner's experience pack! What if it's a powerful character?"
Luffy also shouted excitedly: "Summon quickly! Skeleton Uncle! Let's see what it is!"
Receiving advice from his companions, Brook nodded: "Alright, then I'll consume one hundred Fear Points for the first summon!"
As he confirmed his intention, everyone seemed to hear an invisible, cold system prompt:
"Ding! 100 Fear Points deducted, 200 points remaining."
Immediately after,
Above the deck in front of Brook, the air suddenly became cold and sticky!
A "Gate of the Underworld" slowly appeared, its edges flowing with eerie green flames, seemingly constructed from decaying ancient wood and twisted bones, emitting an ominous aura!
The gate creaked, a sound that grated on the teeth, and slowly opened inward, revealing a deep, swirling, dark passage that seemed to lead to another dimension.
A blurry figure was thrown from the depths of the passage, lightly landing on the deck.
The Gate of the Underworld then quietly disappeared.
Everyone immediately gathered around curiously, only to see the figure gradually solidify into an old man with white hair, wearing ordinary pajamas, and a look of sleepiness and extreme bewilderment on his face.
He leaned on a wooden stick that looked like it had been casually picked up, looked around at the group of strangely dressed people and skeletons, rubbed his eyes, and muttered:
"Who... who are you? Where... where is this? I remember I was clearly still eating my wife's dalu mian on the kang at home... while eating... my chest hurt... and then... then I didn't know anything... Am I... dead?"
Everyone: "..."
A strange silence fell over the deck.
Nami's mouth twitched: "This... this old man... his combat power seems to be negative, doesn't it?"
Usopp covered his face: "Not only does he have no combat power, it seems we need to protect him from dying again..."
....
The journey continues right now for our Jade Dragons! 🐉
For just $6/month, you can step into the advanced chapters and never face a cliffhanger again. Gain instant access to 50+ chapters immediately, support the story you love, and help decide its course.
🔗 Become a Jade Dragon:
https://patreon.com/J_Dragon