Chapter 154: Revive-Revive Fruit, Giant Pirate Ship?
Grand Line, Florian Triangle.
This sea area, perpetually shrouded in deep mist, is located in the 'Paradise', yet it is one of the most mysterious and dangerous regions on the entire sea.
Since ancient times, countless terrifying legends have circulated about this sea area.
The oldest legend claims it is a cursed sea, home to the ancient cursed ones.
There are also legends of terrifying giant beasts that devour everything residing here.
Others say ghost ships of various sizes roam here, with the dead singing within.
In recent years, hundreds of ships disappear in this area annually. The crew vanishes entirely, leaving only empty vessels drifting out of the mist.
In short, this is the most mysterious and terrifying place on the sea.
And now...
"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~"
"Binks' Sake~ delivers to you~"
"Day after day~ in the twilight of dreams~"
"Never to see again~ the figure waving goodbye~"
A dead man named 'Brook' was singing on a dilapidated ghost ship.
While humming, he tidied his suit and adjusted his bow tie.
Although the suit and bow tie were tattered—just like his skeleton body, the traces of time could never be hidden.
But his movements were serious.
As if he were rushing to a date, like every time in the past.
As if he might die on that island, like every time in the past.
Oh, that doesn't seem right...
"After all, I'm already dead! Yohohoho!"
He let out a unique laugh, picking up his cane sword elegantly.
Suddenly, a gust of wind made the ship creak and tilt slightly, almost making Brook fall.
"The sea breeze is strong today—is it wishing me luck in retrieving my 'Shadow'?"
Brook took off his hat elegantly and bowed to the wind.
"Then, I'm off!"
He said.
Even though he knew no one on this ship would answer him—his comrades, and even the ship itself, had died in the 'Past' fifty years ago.
But he habitually talked to himself, just as he habitually laughed in that unique way.
It made the ship feel lively like before, made him feel less lonely, made his heart feel warm.
"Oh, wait, I'm a skeleton, I don't have a heart! Yohohoho!"
"Uh, sorry to interrupt your self-entertainment."
On the ghost ship where no one should be speaking, a response came.
"Ghost!"
Brook screamed instantly, eyes popping out—oh wait, he had no eyes.
"Being called a ghost by someone like you feels very strange."
The next moment, Brook saw a person standing near the broken helm not far away.
The person wore a Dragon Mask, holding a cup of cola and a bag.
Inside the bag was steaming food.
"I am Ryuji (Dragon)."
The visitor said, raising the food and cola. "Sorry for intruding—care to enjoy a meal together?"
Brook: "..."
Minutes later.
"Yohoho, truly delicious—is this warm food? My taste buds are revived! Oh, wait..."
Brook, who hadn't eaten for fifty years, was wolfing down food.
"You don't have a tongue."
Ryuji didn't eat, just sipped his cola and finished the skeleton joke for him.
"Exactly—you know your stuff, guest."
"So, guest, what's your name? When did you board? How did I not see you?"
"Are you also a victim in this sea area? Attacked or shipwrecked?"
Perhaps because he was a skeleton, Brook could talk smoothly while wolfing down food.
He clearly saw Ryuji meant no harm, so he spoke casually, even becoming talkative.
"Ryuji."
Ryuji stated his identity calmly.
"I wasn't shipwrecked, I came in voluntarily—for some purpose..."
Ryuji looked at Brook.
"Purpose?"
Brook seemed puzzled.
"Yes, I want to investigate some things and take some things... mm, one of them should be obtained soon."
As Ryuji spoke, he saw clearly in the interface before his eyes:
[Devil Fruit User 'Brook' Discovered]
[Confirmed Devil Fruit: 'Paramecia · Revive-Revive Fruit' (Yomi Yomi no Mi), analyzing...]
[Fruit Ability: Soul can return from the 'Underworld' after death, reviving once and mastering soul-related abilities.]
[Effects by Level]
[LV3: Gain full fruit effect. Soul returns to the living world after death, completing one resurrection. This ability can only be used once per soul. Requires 1.3 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[LV4: Deep-Dive Development. Can draw 'Underworld Chill' (Chills of the Underworld) via soul. The chill can freeze surroundings; attacks imbued with chill deal damage and suppression to soul-type creatures. Can also project soul out of body; projected soul is invulnerable. Requires 3.2 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[LV5: Fruit Awakening · Lord of the Underworld. After soul projection, can use 'Soul Vision'. Soul can affect surroundings. All nearby bodiless souls will be devoured and sent to the Underworld. Each devoured soul grants full energy contained within for a short time, greatly enhancing self. Next attack deals massively increased damage to soul entities. Requires 11 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[Analysis Progress: 12%]
Yes.
Knowing Big Mom would hold a Tea Party to declare war on The Zodiac.
Roy didn't plan to sit idly by—he had already planted a wedge on Big Mom's side.
But Roy also knew.
Big Mom had huge character flaws, making her perhaps the easiest to deal with among the Four Emperors.
But she was still an Emperor, an 'Evil God' who destroyed a giant village and killed a giant hero as a child.
Dealing with such a monster required ample preparation.
Coincidentally, Roy knew.
Although obtained weirdly, Big Mom was the user of the 'Soul-Soul Fruit'.
She could extract souls and lifespan from others to create special creatures 'Homies', and use these souls to perform various abilities.
Coincidentally, Brook's 'Revive-Revive Fruit', although incomparable in versatility...
Was extremely effective in 'Suppressing Souls', acting as a hard counter to the Soul-Soul Fruit.
By the way—this skeleton became like this precisely because of the Revive-Revive Fruit's resurrection effect.
Plus, there were a few other Devil Fruit users in the Florian Triangle useful to Roy.
So, Ryuji appeared here.
"Investigate? Take things? Are you treasure hunting?"
Hearing Ryuji's answer, Brook paused.
His ship was too damaged to sail, so he had drifted in the Florian Triangle for nearly 50 years.
In these 50 years, he knew little of the outside world—a News Coo got lost and delivered a paper a few years ago, giving him some info, but that was it.
He naturally hadn't heard of Ryuji or 'The Zodiac'.
So he said seriously, "Lord Ryuji, I must warn you... if you are here for treasure, you better drop the idea."
"I've been here for nearly fifty years... this sea area is very dangerous."
"If possible, leave quickly—or your 'Shadow' will be stolen too."
He dragged out his voice, trying to scare Ryuji. "By that 'Warlord', Gecko Moria!"
But...
"...Oh."
He saw Ryuji respond casually. "Thanks for the reminder."
Then Ryuji completely skipped the topic of 'leaving', glanced at the analyzing Fruit Encyclopedia, and looked at Brook. "Speaking of which, Mr. Brook, tell me about your experience?"
He knew Brook's story well; asking was just to pass time until the analysis finished.
Brook: "..."
What's going on?
Did the lost News Coo deliver wrong news years ago—it said 'Warlords' were famous on the sea?
Though puzzled, Brook didn't hide anything. "About me, I was once a pirate..."
He was candid.
Ryuji brought him food; he had to repay the kindness.
Besides—for a lonely soul, having someone to talk to about his experiences was welcome.
So he told Ryuji his situation.
Including his identity as a member of the Rumbar Pirates, their encounter with enemies here, his delayed resurrection due to the fog, and becoming a skeleton...
Having not spoken to anyone for a long time, he was very talkative and spoke fast.
[Analysis Complete, Obtained 'Revive-Revive Fruit' LV1]
When Ryuji heard this sound.
He also heard Brook say, "About 30 years ago, I met a pirate here—I remember his name, called 'Rocks'."
"...Excuse me!?"
Ryuji, ready to end the conversation, froze instantly. "Who did you say?"
"Rocks."
Brook repeated. "I remember Captain Yorki mentioning him before—in our time, he was a rookie pirate somewhat famous in the West Blue."
"But when I met him here, he was terrifyingly strong... He seemed injured, wrapped in thick bandages, but dared to come to the Florian Triangle on a small raft."
He recalled the situation back then.
It was after he had drifted here for over a decade.
He saw a figure in the mist.
Before this, Brook occasionally saw other ships.
But almost all avoided his 'ghost ship', and curious ones fled upon seeing the 'skeleton captain'.
But that man was different.
"Oh? A corpse talking—no, feels like you're still alive?"
"A skeleton, yet alive, truly magical."
He had no ship, just sailing a simple raft—Brook still couldn't understand how such a thing sailed on the dangerous sea.
Any storm or giant wave could easily flip it, right?
In fact, he asked the man this question.
But the man said...
"Hahaha! Isn't that what pirates do?"
"If you don't even have the courage to face the sea alone, how can you conquer the 'World'?"
The answer sounded illogical.
But Brook could hear the grand 'Ambition' he couldn't understand.
So even after so long, his impression of the man hadn't faded.
"And then?"
Ryuji asked deeply.
"Then? He asked me some questions. I begged him to take me away... I had to fulfill the promise to my comrades."
Brook sounded regretful.
"But he refused."
Yes—he wanted to leave, every moment.
He had a promise to fulfill.
So even if the other party rode a raft, he was willing to risk it.
But...
"Promise... that is indeed an important reason."
Rocks clearly valued 'Promises'.
"If it were before, I would definitely invite a guy who values 'Promises' like you to join my crew."
"But not now."
Rocks seemed regretful too.
"I also have a promise I must fulfill."
With that, he left.
But before leaving, he left some food and water—even though Brook couldn't give useful answers and said he didn't need them to survive.
"This is payment for asking directions... I usually don't pay, but you are an interesting guy."
He laughed heartily.
"Keep waiting, Skeleton! A free soul won't be trapped in a cramped cage forever... you will get out one day!"
Hearing this, Ryuji looked even more solemn.
Over 30 years ago, Brook met Rocks here?
Undoubtedly, this wasn't in the original story.
And more importantly...
"A small raft over thirty years ago?"
Ryuji knew well.
Over thirty years ago, Rocks was at his peak.
He was the 'World Hegemon' openly opposing the World Government, the strongest pirate of an era.
The probability of him coming to the Florian Triangle on a raft alone then was low—the Florian Triangle is in 'Paradise'; such action would likely be discovered.
So, Ryuji had an instinctive guess.
"Not over thirty years ago, but Thirty-Two Years Ago."
"The year After the God Valley Incident!"
"Besides going to Skypiea to leave me a message, he came here too?"
This was the most likely possibility.
So Ryuji looked at Brook. "You said Rocks asked for directions... what did he ask?"
"Oh, about that..."
Brook recalled. "He asked if I encountered a 'Giant Pirate Ship' in this mist."
He sounded strange.
"Giant Pirate Ship?"
Ryuji frowned under his mask.
Speaking of giant pirate ships in the Florian Triangle...
"Thriller Bark?"
Ryuji thought of this instinctively—Thriller Bark, the ship of Warlord 'Gecko Moria'.
It was an island ship, truly exaggerated in size.
But moments later, Ryuji realized this guess was wrong.
Moria came to the Florian Triangle at most ten-plus years ago; thirty years ago, he wasn't even a pirate!
And Brook's words confirmed his guess.
"I thought he meant an island ship or something, but he said that ship was far bigger than an island ship."
Brook scratched his afro.
He had seen Moria's island ship; its size was astonishing.
Bigger than an island ship... what could it be? Brook couldn't even imagine.
Ryuji: "..."
Hearing this, he thought of something.
In the original story, when Luffy and his crew defeated Moria and left the Florian Triangle, a massive shadow appeared in the mist.
That shadow was one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the original story.
And now it seemed...
"The massive shadow in the original story was a 'Pirate Ship'?"
Ryuji brainstormed frantically.
"If so... whose ship is that?"
But undoubtedly—the more he thought, the more questions he had.
So finally, he made a decision.
He didn't know much about the Florian Triangle and couldn't figure it out.
In that case, ask someone who knew enough.
"You are going to find Moria now, right?"
He looked at Brook.
"Uh... yes... I'm going to take back my shadow—wait, how do you know?"
Brook paused mid-sentence.
He hadn't reached the part about losing his shadow yet.
"Guessed."
Ryuji said casually, standing up.
"Coincidentally, I planned to find Moria too—let's go together."
"To... together?"
Brook was stunned again.
Then he recalled Ryuji's words earlier. "You said you came to get something, is it with Moria?"
Ryuji nodded decisively.
Brook asked no more.
"In that case—I've been there a few times and figured out a stealthy route. If Lord Ryuji doesn't mind, sneak in with me."
"Moria is dangerous; best not to fight him head-on, or your shadow might..."
He was happy to have a helper.
"Sneak in?"
But before he finished, he heard Ryuji laugh.
As Ryuji spoke, Brook saw his body... begin to change.
His voice became deep, like thunder from the high heavens.
The next moment, in front of Brook...
He transformed into the legendary, mythical creature.
"The thing I want and the things I want to investigate must be asked of Moria personally."
"Besides—I don't have the habit of... Sneaking."
☆☆☆
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