"Chopper!"
Nami cried out and rushed forward, quickly picking Chopper up. Kaguya only gave them a glance and did not make a move to stop her.
Chopper was gravely injured. Not only was there extensive trauma on the surface of his body, but his internal organs had also suffered severe damage. Who knew how many bones were broken? If it weren't for his strong physique, that last blow would have killed him.
"Chopper..." Luffy, completely exhausted, could barely keep his eyes open. He tried to move, but even his fingers wouldn't respond.
"Next... it's your turn," Kaguya turned around, raising her sword and pointing it at them. "You are nothing more than weaklings. Why do you struggle? You're going to die anyway. Wouldn't it be better to accept death peacefully? Struggling meaninglessly will only bring you more pain."
Just the presence of her sword alone exuded an oppressive force that made it hard to breathe. Her strength was far beyond what Doflamingo could compare to.
What should we do?
Cold sweat dripped down Nami's forehead. Her back was already drenched, and her hands were slick with nervous sweat as she swallowed hard.
At that moment, Brook stepped forward and stood in front of Nami. "Miss Nami, it seems this is the end. You should take the others and leave. I will do my best to hold her off."
Nami froze for a second, then quickly said, "But—"
"No need to say more, Miss Nami," Brook interrupted, turning back with a serious look. "I might not see Laboon again. If you meet him one day, please tell him... we never forgot him."
Seeing Brook's solemn expression, Nami bit her lip and nodded hard. Then she dragged the others and began to retreat.
"Parting between life and death... such a touching scene," Kaguya said lightly, stroking her sword and glancing at them. She smiled faintly. "But do you really think you can escape?"
Brook gripped the sheath of his sword and said sternly, "Even if I die, I won't let you succeed. Although I'm already dead. Yohohoho."
With that, he stamped his foot and dashed forward like an arrow, gripping his sword tightly.
Nami turned her head away, unable to bear the sight. She knew the opponent was far too strong. With Brook's strength, he had no chance. His words earlier were essentially a final message.
She feared that if she looked back, she would start to cry.
But as Nami was lost in her emotions, a figure was sent flying back. Boom! The body hit the ground heavily. It was none other than the just-so-heroic Brook.
Nami: "..."
"Hey, hey, that was way too fast!" Nami shouted in disbelief, eyes wide.
"I didn't want this either," Brook said pitifully, lying on the ground. "But she's just too strong."
"Still, that was too quick!" Nami yelled in frustration, practically ready to kick him. "Give me back my emotional moment!"
Just as Nami was about to say something else, Brook suddenly stood up and shoved her aside. "Watch out!"
A sharp blade of light tore through the air.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out, sending out a spray of brilliant sparks.
Kaguya looked with interest at the skeleton who blocked her. "Losing focus during battle will get you killed, you know."
Brook clenched his teeth, his sword pressed firmly against Kaguya's. Despite her delicate appearance, her strength was overwhelming. The force coming through the blade was almost too much for him to handle. Even his bones began to creak and crack.
"Go!" Brook growled through gritted teeth, arms trembling. "I can't hold on much longer!"
Nami gave him a long look, then turned and dragged Luffy's body like a corpse, sprinting off into the distance.
Looking at them, Kaguya couldn't help but feel a strange illusion—as if they were tragic martyrs from a movie, and she was the villain committing unspeakable evil.
She shook her head, dispelling the absurd thought, then pointed her sword. "If you know what's good for you, just die already."
"Who would obediently go die, you idiot!" Nami suddenly turned back and stuck out her tongue at her.
"Hey, don't provoke the enemy!" Brook shouted, alarmed.
"It's fine, you're already dead anyway. What's one more time?" Nami gave a bright smile, then turned and bolted.
No one saw that her head was bowed and her eyes had turned red.
Brook wanted to respond, but a slash of sword light silenced him. He turned quickly to parry.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
The powerful force transmitted through the swords made it hard for Brook to maintain his grip. His arms went numb, and his heart sank.
Looks like I really won't make it this time...
He took a deep breath, raised his sword in front of his chest, and muttered, "Soul Solid."
A freezing aura suddenly emerged from the sharp blade, mist-like and bone-chilling. This was his newly acquired cane sword, gifted by a tribal chieftain. It was imbued with soul energy and carried the aura of the underworld.
Kaguya didn't attack right away. Instead, she looked on with interest. She could clearly sense the presence of vengeful spirits clinging to the blade—souls bound to the weapon for unknown reasons, granting it strange and powerful abilities.
Of course, that might seem terrifying to others. But to Kaguya, it was insignificant. After all, souls weren't indestructible. If they couldn't beat her while alive, how could they possibly win after death?
Brook's expression turned serious. He gripped the hilt tightly as the chilling energy spread—this was his opening move.
Suddenly, he moved.
His figure vanished in a flash, darting like a ghost. A sharp blade of light followed his movement.
A cold gleam flashed.
In the blink of an eye, Brook had somehow appeared silently behind Kaguya.
In a quiet voice, he said, "Three-Verse Humming: Arrow Notch Slash."
As he finished speaking, he slid his sword back into its sheath.
Cling!
With a crisp ring, a burst of sharp sword aura exploded around Kaguya.
Brook braced his knee with his arm, gasping heavily for breath—though no one knew why a skeleton would even need to breathe.
The move he had just used was his strongest technique, one that had defeated many powerful enemies and become his signature skill. Yet even so, he couldn't be certain it would deal any significant damage to the opponent.
After all, the enemy before him might be the strongest one he had ever encountered. How could she possibly be defeated so easily?
Sure enough, as the dust settled, Kaguya's figure was revealed. Her body was as clean and unscathed as ever, clearly unaffected by the previous attack.
Kaguya walked forward gracefully and said coldly, "To think you'd show off such shallow swordsmanship—truly admirable courage."
Brook's expression was grim as he instinctively gripped his cane sword tighter.
Without a word, ghostly flames flickered in the hollows of his eyes. With a sudden step, he flashed forward like a phantom. His cane sword was drawn in an instant, releasing a chilling aura as he launched the same technique once more.
"Soul Solid: Blizzard Slash!"
But this time, Kaguya seemed to have grown tired of Brook's swordplay. Once, she had thought Brook's technique was supernatural—where the effect followed after the sword passed through. Now it appeared it was merely due to his extreme speed, a trick of perception before the real impact landed.
"A skeleton should know its place. The graveyard is where you belong."
With a wave of her arm, countless golden ripples appeared in the void. After a brief pause, an overwhelming downpour of swords, spears, and halberds shot forth like a violent storm.
Gate of Babylon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Brook was startled and swiftly swung his cane sword, deflecting the incoming weapons while retreating rapidly.
However, there were simply too many weapons flying at him. Each one carried immense force, jolting his arms numb and nearly making him lose his grip.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, the sword flew from his hand under the force of the blow.
Damn it!
Brook's expression changed drastically.
The torrential rain of weapons fell down upon him.
Crack crack crack!
A string of bone-shattering sounds echoed as Brook was sent flying like he had been hit by a train. With a loud crash, he slammed into a wall, his body now riddled with embedded weapons like a human pincushion. Many of his bones had clearly fractured.
"I... can't fail."
Brook gritted his teeth and struggled to rise from the ground. But with most of his skeletal frame broken, even he couldn't move.
At that moment, a figure appeared before him. Brook looked up and his eyes narrowed.
Looking down at him, Kaguya said coldly, "It's over."
With that, she lowered the sword in her hand.
Crack.
It pierced through the skull of the skeleton.
"Brook!"
A shocked voice rang out from the distance. Kaguya turned her head and saw that the one who had appeared was none other than Luffy, whom Nami had dragged away earlier.
A look of shock still lingered on his face. He stared unblinkingly at Brook, who had been impaled, his body frozen in place, pupils dilated, seemingly unable to process what had just happened.
"Perfect timing. The protagonist always comes on last—it makes things more interesting," Kaguya turned around, smiled faintly, and twirled her sword. "Isn't that right?"
"You dared... you hurt my crewmate!" Luffy's veins bulged on his forehead, his face flushed red, his eyes practically burning with fury. His muscles tensed as he shouted, "I'm going to send you flying!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy raised his arm. Armament Haki immediately coated his skin as he bit into his arm and puffed his cheeks, blowing a gust of air into it.
"Muscle Balloon!"
Luffy's body rapidly expanded at a visible speed. His muscles bulged and tightened, and hot steam began to spew out.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed. So this was the rumored Fourth Gear?
Interesting.
As the mist cleared, Luffy's new form was revealed. His body had swollen several times larger, muscles sculpted like granite, with patterns resembling those of a Devil Fruit etched on his skin. A powerful aura radiated from him.
"Gear Fourth: Bounce Man!"
"Now this is getting interesting," Kaguya eyed Luffy up and down with amusement. "But didn't you just come out of a big fight? Aren't you going to rest a bit? Otherwise, if you die without showing your full power, wouldn't that be such a regret?"
"Shut up!" Luffy clenched his fists, growling through his teeth. "I'm going to beat you so bad you can't fight back!"
With that, he suddenly burst forth like a cannonball, right arm drawn high and then slammed forward with great force.
"Kong Gun!"
Boom!
His massive punch crashed hard against Kaguya's sword, sending sparks flying. Under the impact of this brute force, Kaguya was blown backward, skidding dozens of meters before coming to a halt.
"As expected of a gorilla's move. Bold and crude, with decent power," Kaguya emerged from the dust and said coolly, "But I think you're better suited for a zoo."
With a wave of her arm, golden ripples appeared in the void, from which a downpour of swords, spears, and halberds rained like a torrential storm.
"This kind of attack," Luffy gritted his teeth, "is useless!"
With a burst of speed, he threw a powerful punch.
"Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun!"
Boom!
A deafening crash. The incoming weapons were instantly knocked away by the tremendous force, sparks flying everywhere.
At the same time, a black shadow flashed. Without anyone noticing, Luffy had appeared behind Kaguya, both legs recoiling before slamming forward with full force.
"Gomu Gomu no Rhino Schneider!"
Just as the kick was about to land, Kaguya suddenly lifted her head and gave a cold smile. "Childish."
With that, a massive burst of power erupted from her body. A thick, inky black aura surged outward, swirling into a storm. Boom! The explosion of force sent Luffy flying far into the distance.
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