Brook and Jerry's words drew everyone's attention to their arrival.
Cavendish turned his head and saw that in addition to the crowd of spectators hiding and watching nearby, there was also a familiar group standing on the roadside observing the battle—his fellow Black Star Pirates who had followed the sounds of combat.
"Ah... Mr. Jerry, you misunderstood," Brook said, stepping forward. "I'm well aware they're not beautiful ladies. I simply want to test how far I've progressed against worthy opponents."
It had been more than a year since Brook escaped the Florian Triangle. Not long ago, he'd finally awakened both types of Haki, and his Devil Fruit development had yielded remarkable results.
During the long years Brook had spent trapped in that cursed sea, he'd never seriously considered developing his fruit abilities because his heart wasn't truly in it. The Revive-Revive Fruit was relatively abstract in nature—without calming his mind and focusing on development, natural progress was nearly impossible.
After breaking free from the Florian Triangle and embracing the world's hope and beauty once again, Brook had finally begun paying proper attention to his fruit's capabilities.
Perhaps because he'd grown subtly accustomed to the Revive-Revive Fruit over the decades, once he began serious development, his abilities had improved by leaps and bounds.
Additionally, after extensive training under Jerry's unconventional but effective teaching methods, Brook had mastered Haki development techniques.
Brook had thoroughly proven that Haki was an innate ability within everyone—not hidden in the body, but representing deeper spiritual power.
Possessing Haki made Brook significantly more formidable in combat.
Since he had only bones without muscle support, Brook's attacks had always emphasized speed and precision rather than raw strength.
However, with Haki's enhancement, his strength deficiency was effectively compensated. While Haki couldn't directly increase physical power, it allowed him to delve deeper into sharpness, penetration, and defense-breaking capabilities, substantially improving both his offensive and defensive potential.
Noticing Brook approaching calmly, Cavendish smiled. "Fine by me, Brook—just don't think about stealing my fans. As for enemies, you can handle whichever one you prefer."
Cavendish spoke truthfully. He'd witnessed the phenomenon many times firsthand—this skeleton's music seemed to possess some kind of magical quality.
Starting from South Blue, whenever Brook performed, people would be drawn to gather and listen enthusiastically. Even Cavendish's most devoted fans weren't immune to the skeleton's musical charm.
"Mr. Cavendish, I apologize—it's unintentional when people become enchanted by my performances," Brook replied, then clenched his right fist and tapped his left palm. "Wait... I don't actually have a heart to put into it! Yohohoho!"
Before Cavendish could respond, the impatient Yonji rushed forward like a green hurricane, grinning wildly as he shouted, "If you want to fight, then let's get started!"
"Your opponent is me," Brook declared, dodging Yonji's powerful punch while thrusting his sword toward the prince's chest.
"Clang!" Sparks danced along the blade's tip as it met resistance, surprising Brook momentarily.
"Hah! Direct hit!" Yonji grinned, raising his hand to deliver another devastating punch without pause.
Yonji's punch generated tremendous force, creating a pressure wave that rolled straight toward Brook.
Feeling the powerful wind that threatened to straighten his signature afro, Brook immediately focused and raised his sword defensively.
With a heavy thud, Brook's feet slid backward along the ground, barely stopping at the port square's edge.
"Such incredible strength! And his body is probably harder than Marine Six Style Iron Body techniques," Brook observed silently, glancing at Cavendish, who had resumed his own battle.
Then Brook moved his feet, rushing toward Yonji, who was already charging at him again.
While advancing, Brook suddenly pivoted, easily dodging Yonji's punch. He decided to handle this extremely violent muscular opponent through agility and speed.
However, combined with his high-tech combat suit, Yonji's movement speed wasn't slow either.
The two figures closed distance in an instant, and under everyone's gaze, they displayed completely different fighting styles.
Yonji naturally relied on raw power—his attacks were fierce and direct. Brook, well aware of his strength limitations, responded with nimble, swift movements.
Both sides fought intensely for an extended period. After chaotic sounds of metal clashing, the two figures quickly separated.
But the next second, they rose again like wild beasts fighting for territory, immediately flying toward each other to continue their fierce combat.
"Soul Slash: Blizzard Waltz!"
Brook's rapier instantly created countless afterimages, accompanied by frigid winds blowing toward his enemy.
"Hmph! I've got more than just raw strength!" Yonji smiled fiercely, and as he moved, his speed suddenly increased. He blocked Brook's sword attacks while throwing a powerful counterpunch.
"Bang!" After taking the hit, Brook finally lost control and crashed directly into cargo containers stacked around the port.
This scene frightened spectators who'd been watching from the area, causing them to flee in all directions, seeking more distant and safer hiding spots.
Simultaneously, hushed discussions could be heard among the crowd.
"Who are those two? How can they fight Germa's enhanced soldiers to this extent?"
"I don't know, but they can't be ordinary people."
"You guys are really ignorant, aren't you? If I'm not mistaken, those are the legendary Black Star Pirates."
"Eh? They're famous?"
"Absolutely! According to rumors, they..."
Ignoring the various comments from bystanders, Skull watched Brook get knocked away and couldn't help asking, "Boss Jerry, is Brook alright?"
Jerry was casually eating sunflower seeds and replied slowly, "He's fine. Don't let Brook's appearance fool you—as long as his bones aren't completely shattered, he'll recover. Ptui!"
"Understood." Seeing Jerry's leisurely attitude as he spat out seed shells, everyone felt both speechless and reassured.
Sure enough, Brook quickly emerged from the pile of cargo where dust was flying everywhere. Apart from looking slightly disheveled, he appeared unharmed.
"My bones are somewhat cracked... Fortunately, I have Armament Haki for protection, otherwise these old bones might not have withstood that impact," Brook said, patting his chest lightly while continuing forward.
"What?" On the other side, Yonji was about to press his advantage when he unexpectedly found his body frozen in place, shocking him completely.
"The chill of the underworld isn't easily dispelled," Brook murmured quietly.
Though Yonji regained mobility quickly, Brook knew his chances of victory had increased significantly. If even his supernatural cold couldn't affect the enemy, Brook would face serious problems.
However, it turned out that the frigid energy transmitted through his sword tip and released into the enemy's body retained its effectiveness despite being partially blocked by Germa's combat suit.
Seeing Brook attacking again, Yonji roared and flew to meet the assault.
"Winch..." Yonji clenched his fist, raising his hand to strike again.
Facing the enemy's heavy punch that appeared identical to before, Brook slightly shifted his body to avoid it while his sword filled with supernatural coldness.
Brook was about to dodge away when he was shocked to discover something was wrong.
"Winch Grab!" A cunning look flashed in Yonji's eyes as his fist suddenly opened into five fingers mid-strike. His arm stretched out impossibly far, quickly grasping for Brook.
The Germa prince's combat suit included mechanical enhancements that allowed his limbs to extend like winch cables—a nasty surprise for opponents expecting normal human reach limitations.
Brook's eyes widened as he realized he'd fallen into a carefully laid trap, with Yonji's seemingly repetitive attack patterns hiding this devastating technique.
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