Chapter 200 Apoo the Instrumentalist
"Tsk."
Tesoro, standing on the carriage, clicked his tongue and looked at Apoo with eyes full of sympathy.
Brett certainly wasn't angry and had no serious intentions, but just having him take action already spelled disaster.
Tesoro wasn't clear on exactly how powerful Brett had become, but he knew how fast this man grew stronger.
Brett, who could already show off impressively in front of the Pirate Emperors last year, was probably not far from making his emperor title truly deserved.
What an unlucky kid.
"Lord Brett!"
King Roady's expression changed.
The Longarm tribe wasn't particularly populous—similar to the fish-men and mermaids living on Fish-Man Island, with only a few million people.
Among these few million Longarms, there weren't outstanding talents like Brett or Jinbei.
Apoo.
This guy was already a rare genius among the Longarm tribe!
"Don't worry, King Roady."
Brett said with a smile. "Nothing will happen."
He simply wanted to play around after encountering an original character after dinner.
Brett wasn't angered by Apoo's provocation, so naturally there was no talk of killing intent.
He'd just teach him a small lesson and let Apoo experience the sea's cruelty early.
"Abababababa, so composed!"
Apoo's laughter sounded bizarre no matter how you heard it. "Finally, something interesting begins!"
King Roady finally sighed helplessly, then said seriously, "Lord Brett, please be very careful—this kid Apoo is an devil fruit user!"
"Devil fruit user?"
Tesoro's mouth twitched.
Though ability users were indeed rare on the seas, in front of true powerhouses, ability alone wasn't enough.
Brett wasn't an devil fruit user, but he was strong—truly strong!
Brett felt awkward.
Though he couldn't hear Tesoro's specific thoughts clearly, he could roughly guess what he was thinking.
How embarrassing—he never seemed to find time to tell his friend that he was actually an devil fruit user too.
Whatever, he'd consider it a surprise prepared for Tesoro.
"Make your move."
Brett said with a smile.
He naturally knew Apoo was an devil fruit user.
He even knew his ability inside and out.
This guy could use every part of his body as an instrument, with different body parts being different instruments.
Through playing different instruments, he could use different sonic attacks.
The most powerful aspect of his ability was that as long as you could hear the sound, you'd be attacked.
Even Luffy had fallen for it, once being blown unconscious.
However, he wasn't like Luffy who knew nothing about this guy's ability, and this Apoo wasn't the Worst Generation member from Onigashima eight years later.
"Abababababa! Then I won't hold back!"
Apoo jumped backward with a grin to create distance, probably wanting to avoid Brett getting close directly. "Listen well to my music!"
His two hands beat his chest like drumsticks, and his chest truly produced deep, rhythmic drumming sounds.
"Hm?"Tesoro was startled.
Then.
BOOM!!
A violent explosion directly engulfed Brett's upper body, with brilliant flames and dense black smoke spreading.
The fans who had come for Tesoro all cried out in alarm.
"What?" Tesoro was equally shocked. "I can't sense any presence?"
Normal attacks carried presence, so they could be sensed and dodged through Observation Haki.
But this kid's attack had absolutely no detectable presence!
Silent and traceless.
It seemed to make Brett explode directly!
Though the power was just so-so, this kid's ability looked quite bizarre.
"Apoo! You bastard!!" The king ground his teeth anxiously.
This damn brat was too reckless!
Then he looked somewhat worriedly at Brett's position, still shrouded in dense smoke.
The Deep Sea Emperor shouldn't be defeated so easily by Apoo, right?
"As a massage, the intensity is a bit too light."
The smoke suddenly dispersed, as if someone had blown it all away in one breath.
Brett, completely unharmed and looking exactly the same as before, still stood in place. The smile on his face and the curve of his mouth hadn't changed at all. "Do you have any more powerful moves?"
Apoo's eyes suddenly widened, and cold sweat instantly spread across his forehead.
You've got to be kidding!
Though that strike wasn't his full power, it was at least seventy or eighty percent!
Completely unharmed—what was up with this guy?
"Abababababa! Looks like I need to play at full power now!"
He seemed to be using laughter to mask his panic. Apoo grinned widely, then pressed his piano key-like teeth with his fingers.
Producing piano sounds.
Accompanied by pleasant piano sounds like flowing springs, invisible blades slashed at Brett's chest, then—
All shattered.
"Ooh."
Tesoro stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming. "Can this kid play his body like instruments?"
"Yes."
The king nodded repeatedly. "Every part of Apoo's body is a different instrument."
While explaining, his face couldn't hide his amazement.
Apoo's techniques were completely useless—truly worthy of Lord Brett!
"What an interesting ability!"
Tesoro laughed heartily.
Using this ability for fighting was such a waste!
Haha, hadn't the talent show's ultimate winner just appeared?
"What's going on?"
Apoo was now sweating profusely.
He couldn't understand it at all—his attacks were completely useless!
Apoo began using his left arm as a flute, tapping his chin to make cymbal sounds, and plucking his right arm like guitar strings.
Various sonic attacks hit Brett, but ultimately proved useless.
"Not using Armament Haki?"
Tesoro clicked his tongue. Brett was becoming more and more terrifying.
After a round of lively attacks, Apoo was the one left panting.
Monster!
This guy was a real monster!
Apoo's gaze toward Brett already showed some existential doubt!
"Looks like you've finished your performance. Then—"
Brett appeared in front of Apoo the next instant. Under this man's incredulous, terrified gaze, he reached out and grabbed his head.
It's over!
His head was going to be crushed!
It felt like a mountain range pressing down on his head—his body completely unable to move.
Was he going to be crushed to death like this?
Apoo suddenly felt tremendous fear.
"Wait, Brett!"
Tesoro suddenly called out loudly. "Don't you think this guy would be perfect for the team I want to form?"
Huh?
Even Brett, who had remained unfazed facing Apoo's various attacks, turned around in surprise at Tesoro's statement.
Tesoro, are you even speaking human language?
Shouldn't idol groups consist of reasonably attractive men and women?
What was this Apoo guy supposed to be?
"Hehehe."
Seeming to notice Brett's surprise, Tesoro explained with a smile. "His ability is just too perfect for the stage! I want him to be the team's instrumentalist!"
Instrumentalist?
Wait.
Brett raised an eyebrow.
Did "instrumentalist" here mean playing instruments or—
"Kid, what do you choose?"
Tesoro jumped over with a smile. "Get finished off by Brett right here and now, or..."
He lowered his voice.
"Become a world-famous superstar?"
Apoo looked somewhat bewildered.
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