A torrential downpour of acidic rain came crashing down from the sky toward Brook. The raindrops hissed with such fierce corrosive power that even the air seemed to shy away in fear.
Within moments, the entire battlefield was veiled in a heavy red mist, like a world apart. Outside, the sun still shone brightly. Inside, it was a hellish landscape.
The acid rain plummeted toward Brook.
Suddenly, a pale green, ghostly flame flickered to life on the white skeletal sword at Brook's waist. The flame danced and pulsed with a dim, sinister glow, as if hungering for the very lifeforce of all things. An ominous aura pulsed outward from it.
FWOOOM.
The fire flared, spreading across the ground in front of Brook like a summoning circle from another realm. Slowly, something began to rise from the light, an eerie bone-white grand piano emerging from the earth.
Faint glimmers of bloodstained starlight shimmered above the piano keys, swirling like gentle sprites. They danced around the skeletal instrument, casting a strange beauty, like warmth blooming in a graveyard.
The piano's four legs resembled beast limbs, each clawed and curled, holding up the body of the instrument like a predator poised to strike.
"It's been a long time… since I last sang for you, Laboon."
Brook slowly sat down. A piano bench appeared just behind him at the perfect moment, as if called forth by memory itself.
He opened his skull like a chest and pulled out a treasured Tone Dial, his most sacred keepsake.
And then, music.
The familiar tune of "Bink's Sake" began to echo through the desolate battlefield.
It was like a vintage wine poured after years of aging, rich, mellow, unforgettable. A melody of reunion. A ballad of old friends meeting once more.
No matter the distance… no matter the parting… the moment this song played, vivid memories would surface, of laughter, of bonds, of shared journeys.
Joyful notes floated through the air, forming a protective dome of sound around Brook. A soft, unseen barrier shielded the musician like a great umbrella, unfazed by the acid storm.
The flickering blood-red starlight that twirled with the music didn't evoke dread, but a strange, solemn beauty, something that could only be born in the underworld.
"Oooohh~…"
Beneath the sea, Laboon trembled as the familiar melody reached his ears. A mix of sorrow and joy welled up in his deep voice.
High above, the cloud-formed Krel heard the gentle melody too, and his heart wavered.
It should have been a soothing, harmonious song. But to him, it was like a lullaby from the abyss, calling him to eternal sleep.
In his mind, visions bloomed:
Fame. Glory. The adoration of the world.
A pirate king's throne, earned not through struggle, but granted freely.
A world where he and his crew stood atop all others, conquering the seas and even forming their own kingdom.
All of it, his deepest desires, would be his.
If only… he'd just let go.
Let the music take him.
Even his Logia body could not resist the song's pull.
Krel's eyes drooped. His consciousness slipped. His elemental form melted away… and his flesh-and-blood body began plummeting from the sky.
"KREL!!!"
His first mate burst through the now-vanished Sheep Cloud Barrier, panic in his eyes, sprinting desperately toward the falling captain.
"Captain!!"
The rest of the Krel Pirates followed, shouting in unison as they rushed forward to catch their leader.
"KREEEEEL!"
That final, thunderous shout jolted something loose.
The spell broke.
Brook's music wavered for a heartbeat. Krel's eyes snapped open.
The fantasy shattered.
Seeing the ground rushing up to meet him, Krel bit down, hard, on his tongue, forcing himself awake.
BANG!
A puff of white cloud exploded where he hit. The impact scattered mist like shattered silk, drifting down like fine ash.
"Whew…"
The crew slowed, letting out relieved sighs.
In their minds, as long as Krel was alive, their pirate crew would never be defeated.
Thanks to the mystical power of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, they had conquered stronger, more experienced crews across the West Sea. That success had inflated their confidence beyond reason.
New to the Grand Line, they still didn't understand the terrifying reality of Armament Haki, a power that could nullify Logia abilities.
Even more beyond their comprehension… was Brook.
His power surpassed even the Devil's darkness.
Their pride remained intact. Their ignorance, unshaken.
They still foolishly believed they had a chance.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
DING~!
The final note of "Bink's Sake" echoed into silence.
The piano's light dimmed. The flickering Mental Powers faded. A life's devotion, offered to a single melody.
Brook carefully placed the Tone Dial back into his skull.
"Haaaah…"
A chill breath escaped his mouth, forming a lingering mist in the air.
"Now then… it's your turn."
Suddenly, the fire in Brook's hollow eye sockets ignited once more.
The skeletal musician slowly raised his ghost-white face, his grin gone. Only shadow and vengeance remained.
CLANG!
A sharp, metallic ring rang out as if blades had clashed.
Brook's ten skeletal fingers began dancing across the piano keys.
The music that followed was no longer gentle. It was a bloodthirsty storm, a violent composition that howled with chaos and authority. A carnage symphony.
The very air seemed to split.
"Everyone fall back!"
Krel shouted.
The sheer pressure of Brook's music could be felt like a physical force. He stepped forward, raising both arms to shield his crew.
His body ballooned in size.
His arms twisted inward, transforming into massive cannon-barrel cylinders.
From the depths of those arms, dull gray clouds billowed outward in torrents. They surged ahead like a tidal wave, forming a solid, foggy barrier.
Brook's music struck it head-on.
Soft versus sharp. Hidden power versus overwhelming force.
Two powers, utterly different in nature, collided.
Neither gave way. The skies trembled.
Krel clenched his jaw, veins bulging. He could feel it, the clouds trembling under the strain of an invisible, oppressive will.
With a roar, he made his move.
"Explosive Cloud!!"
His body expanded again, now towering like a true giant. He spun, crouched, and wrapped his arms protectively around his crew.
The cloud wall ahead began to glow, a golden-yellow pulse flickering within the storm.
And then,
BOOM!!!
The explosion tore a massive crater into the ground. A shockwave blasted out like a blade, tearing dust from the earth and hurling it toward the sea.
Whirlwinds howled.
Krel's cloud body was shredded and scattered, fragments soaring into the sky like petals in a storm.
And yet,
Through the deafening chaos… the piano still played.
Its haunting melody sliced through the noise with uncanny clarity, like it came from another world.
The sound was cruel, twisted, relentless.
It was the snarl of an ancient god-beast… circling its prey.
The Krel Pirates shivered. They clustered together, huddling like scared children seeking warmth.
Then,
The music halted.
Time seemed to freeze.
"Soul Requiem: Azure Dragon"
Brook's skeletal fingers struck the final chord.
Dark flames flickered in his eyes. The notes he played shimmered into the air, gathering into a glowing sigil, a secret verse, floating upward into the sky.
RUMBLE!!!
Thunder cracked across a clear blue sky. The sun still blazed, but a heavy shadow now blanketed the world.
The sky rippled like disturbed water.
And then,
A colossal azure dragon burst forth, rising with divine majesty.
Scales shimmered like mirrors. It roared through the heavens, devouring clouds, exhaling storms, casting light across the battlefield.
It descended.
The soul dragon had come.
And its jaws… were open wide.
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