The first half of the Grand Line—Florian Triangle.
This stretch of sea was cloaked in perpetual fog and gloom, with fleeting shadows occasionally darting across the mist. Every year, hundreds of ships mysteriously vanished in this eerie region.
From one such drifting vessel, a faint tune echoed.
"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~"
The lody might have sounded cheerful elsewhere, but in this haunted stretch of ocean, it sent chills down the spine.
Crack!
A bolt of purple lightning tore through the darkness above, then condensed into a human figure—Chiga.
Hearing the familiar lody, Chiga gave a small smile.
"Binks' Sake... I've found you, Brook."
His purpose here was clear: to find Brook and obtain the Yomi Yomi no Mi.
In Chiga's eyes, the Yomi Yomi no Mi was a top-tier Devil Fruit. Among soul-based abilities, it was one of the most potent—even more so than Big Mom's Soru Soru no Mi.
In the ani, the Yomi Yomi no Mi had even shown a natural counter-effect to Big Mom's soul powers. That alone said a lot.
But for Chiga, the fruit's true potential went far beyond what had been shown.
He believed the user could access the Underworld itself and even draw upon its power.
In the world of One Piece, the Underworld clearly existed. Brook's backstory confird that—after death, his soul had wandered in the Underworld before returning.
And if one could reach that place, then they could also contact the dead… maybe even pull them back.
Brook had never shown such an ability in the series, but Chiga was convinced it was possible.
With his Rinnegan, particularly the Human Path, combined with the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi, he was confident he could do far more than Brook ever had.
He even wondered if Shinigami existed in One Piece's Underworld. If they did, they'd better behave—
With the plan in mind, Chiga activated Heavenly Net, scanning the entire Florian Triangle.
Brook's presence appeared monts later.
Chiga's gaze shifted in the direction of the signal, and his body turned to lightning—he vanished instantly.
…
On a decaying ship deck, Brook sat before a piano, playing with elegance and grace.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom tore through the silence. Brook's music stopped.
He tilted his skull upward and muttered,
"Is it going to rain? Looks like I'll have to cut today's performance short."
He stood to head into the cabin, but froze as he turned.
There, standing on the deck, was a living person.
Brook had drifted through this cursed sea for nearly fifty years. Aside from the occasional leaping fish, he hadn't seen another soul—let alone a living human.
He couldn't even count himself among the living anymore. When he looked into a mirror, he saw only bones. He'd nearly forgotten his own face from when he was alive.
So now, seeing soone alive in the flesh, Brook doubted his senses.
He instinctively tried rubbing his eyes—only to rember he didn't have any.
His gaze shifted to the man's eyes—circles within circles, like whirlpools of infinite depth.
Brook tilted his skull slightly.
"Do people's eyes look like that nowadays?"
Of course, the truth was, there was only one person on the entire sea with such eyes.
Chiga.
He had originally arrived to quietly enjoy the iconic tune "Binks' Sake," but his lightning-charged entrance had startled Brook.
Looking at the skeleton, Chiga smiled.
"This is a great song. That's 'Binks' Sake,' isn't it?"
"Eh?"
Brook was stunned. How did this stranger know the song's na? Had it beco popular in the outside world?
While Brook stared in disbelief, Chiga casually approached.
He examined Brook's skeletal body and locked onto his thick, puffy afro.
He snorted inwardly.
Even after fifty years of being bones, he still has hair like that. The bald community on Earth would cry.
Chiga's face twitched a little at the thought.
Brook, unaware of the silent mockery, was overwheld by the joy of seeing a real person.
Sohow, his bare skull even ford what resembled a smile—though Chiga wasn't impressed.
"Sir, it's a pleasure to et you! I'm Brook!"
His enthusiasm was infectious. Chiga snapped out of his internal sarcasm and replied calmly,
"Hello. My na is Uchiha Chiga."
"Uchiha? Hmm, I don't believe I've heard that surna before. Yohohohoho!"
Brook laughed uproariously.
His sense of humor had clearly decayed with solitude. After decades with no company, even a surna was enough to set him off.
Chiga understood. He said nothing, letting the laughter pass.
Eventually, Brook sobered up, realizing how impolite he must have seed.
"Forgive , Chiga-San," he said quickly. "It's just… I haven't spoken to anyone living in so long."
Chiga raised a hand.
"It's alright. I understand."
"You really are kind," Brook said, then looked down at himself. "But you're not at all disturbed by the way I look?"
It genuinely puzzled him. Most people would scream at the sight of a walking skeleton. But Chiga barely blinked.
Chiga didn't bother to explain. He couldn't exactly say "Well, I saw you in an ani."
So instead, he simply redirected the conversation.
"I ca to ask you for sothing."
"For ?"
Brook looked down at his skeletal form, puzzled.
He patted around his coat and bones. Other than his sword-cane, he couldn't imagine what he had to offer.
Embarrassed, he looked up and said,
"I'm sorry, Chiga-San… I don't think I have anything to give."
Chiga shook his head.
"I'm here for your Yomi Yomi no Mi."
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