A surge of immense energy shot past Brook, then in an instant overtook the Rumbar Pirates behind him.
The strange crimson beam seemed to drain all the heat from the air, radiating a chilling, lifeless aura.
Power surged like a tidal wave through the sky, transforming into a brilliant band of light that instantly engulfed all the Rumbar crew.
Brook stood, sword lowered, his skeletal eye sockets trembling. The indigo flames flickered out. His hollow gaze widened in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him.
The beam that had narrowly missed him cast a long, dark shadow across his body, sullen, heavy with despair.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Thunder cracked in his hollow eyes, fury exploding from deep within. His howl echoed like distant thunder, rumbling far across the sea.
The hatred from witnessing his crew's deaths gnawed at his soul like insects feasting on rotting wood. A shackle deep within him seemed to break completely.
Two jagged streaks, like tears of darkness, etched themselves across his cheeks. From his temples sprouted sharp, twisted horns. Indigo flames curled around his teeth like ethereal fangs. Slowly, a monstrous white bone mask, eerily similar to the creature's, began to form over his face.
The soul fire ignited once again. Brook's arms turned pitch black, the darkness climbing all the way to his shoulders. There, they ignited into divine black flames, like celestial fire forged in steel, radiating power and resilience.
The ghostly fire twisted tightly around his arms, finally solidifying into strange markings, elegant and mysterious, etched deep into the obsidian limbs.
Brook's transformed body burst into motion. He leapt high into the sky, sword in hand, slashing downward.
From the heavens fell a flash of blue firelight, bathing the world in a cold, cyan glow, like the aftermath of a Mental Power wildfire.
Flames bloomed like flowers at either side of Brook, petals drifting gently in the air, falling like tears, each one a mournful note in a requiem.
The blue fire carried no warmth. Instead, it radiated a despair that seemed born from the deepest abyss of the afterlife.
"AHHH!! Freeze, FREEZE, YOU MONSTER!!!"
Brook dove from the sky, driving his blade deep into the earth before the creature.
A boy's silhouette once again surfaced in Brook's mind.
But this time, the boy appeared different, calmer, composed. Pressing both hands to the earth, he unleashed a surge of pure elemental energy that betrayed his serene expression. A rainbow of freezing power burst forth, divine and overwhelming, instantly crystallizing the world into shimmering blue. It was breathtaking, but carried a searing heat that pulsed like a heartbeat.
The boy's power seemed to flow into Brook's own body. The indigo fire flared violently, erupting like a storm toward the monster.
But this time, the fire didn't simply cling to the creature's surface. The instant it made contact, the blue fire transformed into icy abyssal frost, bone-white, as if rejecting all life. Starting from the monster's ankles, the frost crept upward, inch by inch, freezing it solid.
Despite its slow crawl, the frost was unstoppable. The monster couldn't budge, as if it had been nailed to the spot.
"RRAAARRRGGHH!!!"
The beast roared again. Tremendous energy gathered in its mouth, aimed squarely at Brook. Behind the mask, a pair of vicious eyes burned with murderous rage. The air around them trembled, desperate to escape.
Brook slowly raised his head. The bone mask on his face radiated a pressure even more terrifying than the monster's own. He stood tall, fearless.
With one hand, he pointed his sword at the monster's head. The glowing blue patterns on his black arm flared brilliantly, then sank into the surface of his skin, channeling all their energy into his blade.
The tip of the sword blazed with dazzling light, casting Brook's shadow long across the battlefield.
BOOM!
Two beams of pure energy, one from the heavens, one from the earth, blasted forth at the exact same moment and collided with devastating force.
The world lit up with their clash, igniting the very sky.
From the farthest edges of the world, twin forces, one red, one blue, began devouring everything in sight. Their border: Brook and the monster.
Brook grinned, revealing jagged skeletal teeth.
The blue fire erupted like a tidal wave, overpowering the red energy and freezing it into crystal. It locked the crimson flame in place, turning it into ice.
The cyan light bursting from Brook's sword washed away the red with effortless strength.
The blue flames surged into the sky, lighting the heavens with indigo brilliance. They slammed directly into the monster's mask,
Crack.
The mask shattered.
The creature's body followed, slowly freezing into an ice sculpture under the relentless blue fire.
Then… stillness.
The world faded.
The monster and the icy flames dissolved into shimmering particles and vanished into the air.
The ship was a ruin, riddled with gaping holes, scorched and battered, as if a great war had just ended.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, thick and oppressive, pressing down like a storm about to break.
Brook knelt on the deck, dazed, surrounded by the fallen bodies of his crew.
The bone mask on his face began to crack and fall away, disintegrating into dust.
"What… what happened…?"
Brook's usual gentle demeanor returned. The monstrous rage from before was gone, yet he hadn't fully come back to himself.
"Why… why is everyone dead…?"
He knelt in place, whispering in disbelief.
Slowly, Brook pushed himself to his feet with his cane.
He walked to the old piano nearby and sat down.
"Everyone… why did you all have to die?"
Still murmuring to himself, he placed his slender skeletal fingers on the keys.
"We… we promised we'd sail around the world… and meet Laboon again."
His finger pressed a note.
A familiar melody rang out.
"Solo…"
"Mi, sol, sol, sol~
La, sol, mi, sol~"
"Duet…"
Brook whispered.
Suddenly, the cellist who had fallen beside him twitched. His corpse burst into green flame, twisting and dancing in the air, then slowly took the shape of the fallen cellist.
The ghostly cellist lifted his hands, and conjured another green flame. It swirled and pulsed… then transformed into a cello.
He picked up the bow and joined Brook, playing in perfect harmony.
"Mi, sol, sol, sol~
La, sol, mi, do!"
"Trio…"
Another green flame appeared. A violinist took form and joined in.
"Sol, mi, re, do, la, si, do~
Sol, mi, re, do, la, do, sol~"
"Quartet…"
"La, do, sol, sol, la, si, do, fa!"
"Chorus!"
One by one, flames ignited around Brook. Figures stepped out of the fire, some with instruments, some with nothing but their presence.
A grand soul concert began.
"Yohohoho! Yohohoho~!"
Brook played harder. His skeletal face furrowed with intense focus and emotion.
His fingers fluttered like butterflies across the keys, joined by the Mental Powers of his crew, singing, playing, performing together.
"Mi, sol, sol, sol~
La, sol, mi, sol~
Yohohoho! Yohohoho~!"
It was a long-lost chorus, performed once more… in the only way it could be now.
As the song ended, Brook gently rested his hands on the keys.
But the souls didn't stop.
They began again, starting the next verse of "Binks' Sake."
"Yohohoho! I am the Soul King, Brook!!! Yohohohoho!"
Brook threw his head back in laughter, tears streaming endlessly from his hollow eyes, dripping down his skull and into the keys below.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Note: Brook went from "yohoho" to "yohowtf" real fast. Let the skeleton cook 🎶
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