"Chiga-san wants my Devil Fruit… does that an he intends to kill ?"
Brook's expression turned serious—this was no joke.
Devil Fruits only reappeared in the world once their users died. More crucially, Brook's entire existence depended on the Yomi Yomi no Mi. Without it, whether he could even continue to exist was uncertain.
Brook wasn't particularly afraid of death. Having lost his entire crew and living as this in-between existence—neither fully alive nor truly dead—he had long co to terms with his fate.
But there was one thing still anchoring him to the world of the living: his promise to Laboon, the whale waiting patiently on the other side of the sea. Until that promise was fulfilled, Brook wasn't ready to die.
Of course, Chiga had no intention of taking Brook's life. He actually found Brook quite amusing, and his personality was decent—if a bit perverted.
Then again, being a bit of a lecher wasn't such a cri. Chiga could relate to so degree—so long as it wasn't to the cringe-inducing extres of soone like Momonosuke.
Thinking of that brat, Chiga couldn't help but wonder if he might run into his soul in the Underworld soday. If that happened, well… that kid might be in for a rough ti.
A mischievous grin crept across Chiga's face.
Brook, seeing the sudden wicked smile, froze in place and instinctively took two steps back.
Chiga quickly realized his expression might have sent the wrong ssage. Brook clearly thought his life was in danger.
So, Chiga clarified imdiately,
"Relax. I have a special thod—one that will let you live even after the Devil Fruit is taken."
"Huh? You can really do that? Chiga-San, you almost gave a heart attack—though I don't have a heart anymore… Yohohohoho!"
Brook's carefree nature quickly reerged. He believed Chiga's claim without much doubt.
If his life wasn't in danger, whether he kept the fruit or not was no longer such a big deal.
After all, Brook's understanding of the Yomi Yomi no Mi was still fairly shallow. He thought its power rely allowed him to return to life once after death.
In the ani, it took him two full years of training before he began to master his soul-based combat techniques, like Yomi Chill and soul projection. But to Chiga, this was still scratching the surface. A fruit of this level deserved far greater potential.
With his Rinnegan, Chiga was confident he could unlock powers Brook never imagined.
…
Chiga chuckled at Brook's classic skeleton pun. It brought a faint sense of nostalgia and warmth.
Among the Straw Hat crew, excluding the won, Brook was one of his favorites. And now that he intended to take his fruit, he felt it was only fair to offer sothing in return.
But what could he offer that would matter?
Chiga lowered his gaze and searched through his mories of Brook's storyline.
His eyes paused at Brook's feet—and sothing clicked.
Zzzz!
A spark of purple lightning shimred faintly around Chiga as he focused his vision.
Brook's figure lit up briefly under the flash—and sure enough, he had no shadow.
Just as Chiga had recalled.
Brook's shadow had been stolen by Gecko Moria, user of the Kage Kage no Mi, and placed into the zombie samurai Ryuma.
This would be Chiga's compensation.
He smiled and turned to Brook.
"I won't take your Devil Fruit without giving you sothing worthwhile in return. I'll make sure you're properly compensated."
Before Brook could even respond, Chiga's body erupted into lightning and vanished.
Brook blinked at the now-empty space where Chiga had stood.
Then he called out,
"Eh?! Chiga-San! The fruit doesn't matter to … if you'd just talk with a little longer!"
But the only reply was silence—the shadows whispering across the deck of the ghost ship.
Brook slumped slightly, sighing to himself.
"Alone again…"
…
Thriller Bark, deep within the Florian Triangle.
Inside the sprawling, eerie ship, Moria lounged lazily on a plush sofa, buried in research and refusing to leave his ho.
Unless it was to fulfill Chiga's monthly task quota, he wouldn't budge from this fortress.
Unfortunately, he was still two missions short this month, and it annoyed him to no end.
With a frustrated scowl, he complained to the people around him,
"That damned Purple Scale… always assigning these ridiculous jobs! Looks like I'll have to go out again!"
Ghost Princess Perona glanced at him with a smirk, covering her mouth as she laughed mockingly,
"Horohorohoro… Moria-sama, I think these missions are good for you. You need to get off that couch and stretch your limbs!"
Dr. Hogback said nothing, clearly uninterested in involving himself.
Only Absalom seed sowhat thoughtful, at least trying to show concern.
"Moria-sama, with your strength, sweeping away a few small pirate crews is no big deal. Don't let it stress you too much."
Hearing that, Moria's expression softened. A warm, rare emotion flickered in his eyes as he looked at Absalom with sothing close to gratitude.
"…Then how about you take care of it for ?"
"Uh…"
Absalom's face stiffened.
"Moria-sama, you flatter . My abilities are too modest… if I got captured, I'd need you to co rescue ."
Of course, he was only trying to dodge the job. What he didn't know was that in the original tiline, Moria really had gone to rescue him from Blackbeard's territory… only to be killed. His Clear-Clear Fruit was stolen.
But in this tiline, Blackbeard was already dead, slain by Chiga. Shiryu of the Rain had also been obliterated by Chiga's venom. So Absalom, unwittingly, had escaped a cruel fate.
Moria didn't argue further. As terrifying as he looked, he did care for his subordinates.
Absalom's strength truly wasn't enough for the mission anyway. In the end, it seed Moria would have to handle it himself.
With a deep sigh, he glanced at his so-called "elite crew."
One was a gothic lolita who constantly ridiculed him.
Another was a mad doctor who fell in love with corpses.
And the third, the only one who ever respected him, was ultimately useless in battle.
This level of leadership was almost comical. He might as well place his hopes in the zombies.
Shaking his head in frustration, Moria slowly sat up, preparing to go find so unlucky pirates to et his quota.
But just as he moved, a voice echoed through the room—a voice that filled him with dread.
"Moria, you seem quite relaxed."
---
Apologies for not uploading the chapters earlier today
I've been sick (still am, actually, lol).
That said, I'll be switching the update ti back to the original schedule: 6 PM to 7 PM (WAT).
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