Chopper whispered, "A recurring heart attack... how pitiful..."
Even Zoro sighed helplessly, "What exactly did he summon..."
Brook himself was confused, his hollow eye sockets staring at the old man who was still out of it. His bony hand awkwardly scratched his skull:
"Yohohoho... It seems this minimum cost... really can't summon any powerful ghosts... I'm sorry, old man, for disturbing your peaceful rest... Disperse, disperse!"
As Brook willed it, the bewildered old man's figure slowly vanished like a wisp of smoke, as if he had never appeared.
The first summoning, which resulted in a normal old man in need of hospice care, concluded. It seems that summoning powerful undead requires far more than a hundred 'Fear Points'!
The initial summoning of an old man in need of care made the atmosphere on deck awkward and amusing for a moment.
Just then,
Ron chuckled, breaking the subtle silence, and patted Brook's shoulder, his tone encouraging:
"Don't be discouraged, Brook. Probability is just like that; there will always be times when luck isn't on your side. But since it's the Strongest Underworld Summoning System, it will surely be able to summon truly powerful figures to assist in the future."
No sooner had Ron finished speaking than Brook suddenly froze, as if he had detected something unusual.
He raised his bony hand and carefully "examined" it, a light of surprise and uncertainty seemingly flickering in his hollow eye sockets.
"Wait... wait a minute! Mr. Ron! Everyone!"
Brook's voice held a trace of unbelievable joy, "After that old man dispersed... I seem to have... felt something different!"
He struggled to organize his words: "Although he had no combat power, after he disappeared, a very pure and gentle... 'soul power' didn't fully return to the Underworld, but instead merged into my soul!
I can feel that my soul's origin... seems to have grown a little stronger because of it!"
This unexpected discovery stunned everyone.
A glint of understanding flashed in Ron's eyes. He nodded approvingly: "So that's it! It seems this summoning system is even more ingenious than imagined.
Even if the summoned ghosts themselves don't participate in combat, their existence and the residual energy after their dispersal won't be wasted. It will all eventually feed back to the summoner, strengthening your soul's foundation. This is a sure-win deal."
"Feeding back to the summoner?!"
"So... even if he summons useless ghosts every time, Brook can still get stronger?!"
"This system is too considerate!"
Everyone was once again astonished by the system's power and thoroughness.
Ron looked at Brook's skeleton, which seemed a bit more lustrous due to the strengthened soul, and continued:
"As your soul continuously strengthens in this way, a quantitative change will lead to a qualitative change... I predict that in the future, you might be able to temporarily separate your soul from the confines of this skeletal body, and move around directly in a spirit form."
This prediction was like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up even greater waves!
"Spir... soul out of body?!"
"Like a real ghost?!"
"Wouldn't that mean he could go anywhere he wanted? Pass through walls and see through things?!"
"Yohohoho!!"
Upon hearing this, Brook immediately let out an unprecedented excited laugh. He gesticulated wildly with excitement, his skeleton clattering,
"Soul out of body! If I can really do that... then collecting Fear Points would be so much easier! I could appear directly in front of anyone! Yohohoho! Just thinking about it makes me excited!"
He already seemed to see his glorious future, transforming into a midnight ghost, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, scaring people into screaming and wildly contributing Fear Points!
After clarifying the system's capabilities and growth path, the plan to reclaim his shadow was quickly put on the agenda.
A flame of fighting spirit seemed to burn in Brook's hollow eye sockets, though there was no actual fire.
"Yohohoho~ Since I'm going to challenge the opponent who stole my shadow, then before that, I must fully charge my 'Strongest Underworld Summoning System'! I need a lot of Fear Points!"
He turned his skull towards the depths of the dense fog: "There seem to be some survivors on this island... I apologize, my unknown friends, but for the sake of my shadow, I'm afraid I'll have to temporarily borrow your 'fear'!"
Usopp, who was nearby, couldn't help but complain, "Hey, hey... Brook, I'm not criticizing you, but with your appearance... you clatter when you walk, and you laugh 'Yohohoho'... you don't even need to deliberately scare people, okay?!
You just silently standing behind someone is already the highest level of terrorist attack! Guaranteed to earn a ton of Fear Points!"
"Yohohoho~ Thank you for the compliment!" Brook bowed happily.
Luffy pressed down his straw hat, wrapped a rubber arm around Brook, and shouted, "Hey! Brook! Where's that guy named Ryuma? We'll go help you beat him up right now! And steal his shadow too!"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring and nodded, "That's right. Letting a friend's shadow wander around is not the behavior of a gentleman."
Zoro also crossed his arms, a fighting spirit curving his lips: "A power that can steal shadows? Perfect for testing my sword."
Facing his companions' enthusiastic and direct assistance, Brook slowly shook his head, placing his bony hand gently on his chest, his voice unusually firm:
"Thank you very much for your kindness! But... for this battle, I must go personally!"
His voice carried an undeniable resolve: "My shadow was taken from me! This shame must be washed away by my own hands! I want to defeat him honorably with the new power I've gained and reclaim everything that belongs to me!"
Feeling the determination and dignity in Brook's words, Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro exchanged glances, all shedding their relaxed expressions and nodding solemnly.
They understood and respected this warrior's pride.
"Alright! Then we'll leave it to you, Skeleton Uncle!" Luffy clapped Brook's skeleton vigorously.
Brook bowed gratefully. Then, as if sensing something, he accurately provided a piece of information:
"Based on previous experiences... the swordsman Ryuma, who took my shadow... will appear on time tomorrow afternoon, as the sun begins to set, on the eastern hillside of the 'Thriller Bark' deep within the island!"
....
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