Brook paused, his bony finger pointing in a direction within the thick fog.
"Before that—"
Brook's figure began to merge with the dense fog, leaving only his characteristic laughter and the gradually receding clattering sound.
"Let me first go and 'collect' enough fear points for tomorrow's battle! Yohohoho—!!"
The eerie laughter faded into the distance.
He walked precisely towards the ruins of the giant 'Thriller Bark' that resembled a small mountain, deep within the island.
That was the core of Thriller Bark, and also the area where the unfortunate surviving pirates on the island huddled, hid, and barely clung to life.
"Fear points… I need more fear points…"
Brook muttered to himself, his hollow eye sockets scanning the dilapidated surroundings; he could clearly sense many faint and terrified life auras hidden within the shattered buildings and shadows.
He arrived outside the ruins of what seemed to be a native settlement and deliberately made his footsteps heavy.
Clack… clack… clack… This sound was particularly grating in the deathly silent environment, and soon, a suppressed gasp and the sound of something being knocked over came from behind a half-open, broken wooden door.
Brook stopped, facing the door, and then he began his "performance."
He didn't make any intimidating gestures, but instead, with an extremely slow, almost elegant posture, he bent down slightly, slowly and silently extending his skull face, devoid of any flesh, towards the crack in the broken door!
In the darkness behind the door, a pair of eyes, wide with extreme terror, met Brook's hollow, deep, and lifeless eye sockets!
The silence lasted for two seconds.
"Aaaahhhhhh—Ghost!! Skeleton!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream, almost beyond human limits, suddenly exploded from behind the door!
It was followed by chaotic sounds of scrambling, knocking over clutter, and the wailing of more than one person!
"Ding! Collected intense fear points +500!"
"Ding! Collected intense fear points +500!"
The cold system prompt sounded in Brook's mind.
"Yohohoho~" Brook let out a joyful laugh, straightening up elegantly, "The effect is quite good~ Thank you all for your generous contributions~ I wish you all sweet dreams~ Oh, I apologize, I forgot you probably won't be sleeping tonight~ Yohohoho~"
He contentedly felt the increasing fear points within him as he walked towards the next populated area.
Sometimes, he would suddenly and silently emerge from the dense fog, greeting several people who were cautiously fetching water with polite words: "Good evening, gentlemen, do you require musical accompaniment?"
"Waaahhh!!!"
"Ding! Fear points +300!"
Sometimes, he would sit by the embers of a campfire, gently tapping out eerie rhythms with his bones, humming off-key tunes that seemed to come from the underworld… scaring people who had just returned and thought they had seen a ghost, causing them to lose their minds again.
"Ding! Fear points +400!"
"Ding! Fear points +400!"
This night, for the natives of Thriller Bark, was undoubtedly a night of compounding misfortune and severe mental torment.
But for Brook, fear points were skyrocketing!
…Time flew by rapidly amidst Brook's efficient "fear collection."
When the light in the dense fog grew dim again, signaling the arrival of afternoon, Brook returned on time to where the Pluton was docked at the edge of the Florian Triangle.
He leaped onto the deck and found that the main combat members, Ron, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and others, had already assembled and were waiting for him.
"Oh? You're back?" Zoro, with his arms crossed, sized up Brook. "Looks like you had a good haul?" He seemed to sense that the aura emanating from Brook was more condensed than when he left.
"Yohohoho~ Thanks to everyone, I've managed to gather a considerable 'military fund.'" Brook bowed elegantly, his hollow eye sockets turning towards the depths of the island. "It's almost time, let's depart. Please follow me."
Under Brook's guidance, the Pluto Battleship started up again, breaking through the dense fog, and sailed towards the Thriller Bark ruins, which lay dormant like a ghostly giant beast.
The battleship finally stopped near a relatively gentle but exceptionally eerie slope on the east side of the island.
"It's just up there," Brook pointed to the top of the slope.
Everyone disembarked in turn and stepped onto the land. The air was filled with a pressure different from other places, as if invisible blades were cutting through the fog.
They hadn't walked far when they saw a figure, silently standing on a protruding rock at the top of the slope, clutching a long sword.
The person was dressed in traditional Wano Country attire, with a sake flask hanging from his waist, but what was most striking was—there was no shadow beneath his feet!
And his face was cold, rigid, and lifeless!
The figure slowly turned around, a sarcastic sneer twisting his rigid face, and a husky, cold voice, like a blade scraping bone, echoed:
"Hmph… It's you again, you lingering bag of bones? Loser, I was lucky enough to let you escape with your life last time, don't you know how to cherish it? How dare you actively seek death again?"
A powerful oppressive sensation permeated the air with his words—it was the sharp aura of a master swordsman!
Facing Ryuma's taunt, Brook straightened his skeletal frame as never before, stepping forward, his bony fingers firmly gripping the hilt of the rapier hidden within his cane. His hollow eye sockets "gazed" at the opponent without flinching, his voice clear and full of determination:
"Ryuma! This time, I will not fail again!"
"Today, I will personally reclaim my shadow! And wash away the past disgrace!"
His voice no longer held its usual comical tone, replaced instead by a cold, resolute fighting spirit befitting a warrior!
The decisive battle was on the verge of breaking out!
Ryuma's rigid face twisted into an extremely disdainful sneer. He didn't even fully draw his famous sword 'Shusui' from its sheath; he merely pointed the sheathed sword forward casually, and an invisible, sharp sword aura tore through the air!
"Loser, in front of me, you have no right to speak."
Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished like a ghost, reappearing before Brook in the next second! Shusui, still sheathed, descended with immense force, striking downwards!
Brook hastily raised his cane-sword to block!
Clang—!
The immense force made his bones numb, sending him stumbling backward, his feet leaving deep marks in the mud.
"Yohohoho… Indeed, with my shadow, you know all my moves like the back of your hand."
Brook steadied himself, his tone grave. Just as he expected, no matter what sword technique he used, Ryuma could always counter and anticipate with the exact same moves, and even greater power!
....
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