One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

He then opened his jaw, emitting a dry, hoarse sound, as if two bones were rubbing together:

"Yohohoho~"

Chapter 119 Fellow Travelers Are Enemies (Seeking Monthly Tickets~)

"Thank you all so much for giving me a shadow again."

"I am... extremely grateful!"

The frizzy-haired skull smoothly removed his elegant top hat, placed it against his chest, and gave a classic and respectful bow.

The newcomer was none other than Brook, the nearly 100-year-old user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit).

The battle between Blackbeard and Moria was quite a spectacle.

These sounds and impacts, like boulders thrown into stagnant water, stirred up ripples in the Devil's Triangle, a region shrouded in silence for years.

This naturally caught Brooke's attention.

Bored out of his mind, he decided to give it a try and maneuvered the old boat closer to the source of the sound.

Unexpectedly, he actually found the terrifying three-masted sailing ship that he had been dreaming of!

However, before he could actually board the Thriller Bark, something shocking and unbelievable happened to Brooke!

His shadow...without warning, gently, was cast back onto the feet of his own bones!

Brook instantly realized that someone had defeated Gecko Moria!

Only when the user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit is defeated or loses consciousness will the stolen shadows automatically return to their original owner.

The immense joy of regaining what was lost overshadowed the long-standing loneliness and vicissitudes of life.

Although it is unknown whether the visitor is friend or foe, this kindness is genuine.

So he straightened his non-existent "clothes" and decided to show himself to express his gratitude to these "benefactors".

That's how we ended up in this situation.

However, Blackbeard narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Brook's unique figure.

He looked the talking skeleton up and down, then broke the brief silence:

"What...are you?"

"Yo ho ho ho, I should indeed introduce myself first and thank you all for the kindness of restoring my shadow."

Brooke straightened up and said seriously:

"My name is Brook. I was once a musician and swordsman active on the Grand Line, and a member of the Rumbar Pirates."

"Now... I can probably be considered a ghost on this sea."

"Speaking of which, the reason I can walk in this world again in this form is thanks to the Devil Fruit I ate—the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit)."

The Fruit of the Underworld?

Upon hearing this, Blackbeard's pupils suddenly contracted, as if his ability antenna had been triggered.

However, Brooke, blinded by the joy of regaining his shadow, failed to notice these anomalies.

He continued to express his gratitude, completely unaware that Blackbeard had begun to move.

With his head bowed, he skillfully concealed the greed in his eyes.

Until he walked up to Brooke.

"Hmm? Is there something you need, sir?"

The naive Brook finally sensed that something was amiss.

However, the next second...

A large, thick, dark hand suddenly reached out and gripped his smooth head like an iron clamp!

"--Well!?"

Brooke's skeleton trembled, and before he could react, he was lifted off the deck by a brute force and hung in mid-air.

His hollow eye sockets looked down and met Blackbeard's face, which suddenly drew closer.

The usual maniacal laughter on his face had vanished, replaced by a naked, almost burning greed.

Its single, scarlet eye was wide open, fixed firmly on Brooke's skeletal body, as if trying to see through the bones to the power of the underworld flowing within.

"A user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit)...?" Blackbeard's voice was extremely low, yet trembled with excitement. "To... actually meet him here!?"

The description of that fruit in the "Devil Fruit Encyclopedia" exploded in his mind—

"The Fruit of the Underworld grants its consumer a chance to 'rise from the dead.' If the soul can find its physical body, it can return from the Underworld to the mortal realm. If its power is developed to its fullest extent, it may be able to touch the boundary between life and death and communicate with the netherworld..."

Resurrected! Communicating with the Underworld!

Every word struck Blackbeard's ambition like a hammer blow.

His pursuit of the Dark-Dark Fruit and his plotting for the Tremor-Tremor Fruit were both aimed at gaining control of a power capable of overturning the world.

Although the Yellow Spring Fruit in front of him was not in his original plan, the "power of life and death" it represents, its mystery and potential are no less than those destructive energies that can destroy the world!

Furthermore... if the plan to seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit goes awry, this fruit is perfectly qualified to be his "backup plan"!

"Hahaha..."

Blackbeard's laughter rang out again, but it was no longer the arrogant and playful laugh of before; only a chilling excitement of discovering prey remained.

He tightened his grip, making Brooke's skull crack.

"What an unexpected bonus!"

He stared at the struggling skeleton in his hand, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if declaring:

"Your abilities—belong to me!"

"Wait—? How come I'm running into someone in the same industry here!?"

Just then, a sudden, ethereal male voice broke into everyone's ears.

The voice, clear and bright with a touch of cynicism, stood out sharply on the foggy, deathly silent deck.

"Huh!? Another intruder?"

Blackbeard's fingers tightened around Brook's skull, his gaze shooting towards the source of the sound—

At the highest point of the dilapidated castle of the Thriller Bark, a row of figures had quietly appeared.

The moonlight struggled to pierce through the thick fog, casting its light on the castle's spires and outlining their silhouettes in a blurry and mysterious way.

The speaker was wearing a long black overcoat, the hem of which fluttered in the night wind.

He wore irregularly shaped glasses that covered most of his face, revealing only his sharp jawline and a half-smile.

What is most striking are his eyes, which glow with a faint blue light in the thick fog, burning quietly like cold flames.

Blackbeard's pupils suddenly contracted.

Although he did not recognize the speaker, he saw a familiar image in the silhouette of one of them.

A straw hat.

That iconic image that appears repeatedly in countless bounty notices and newspaper headlines.

"Straw Hat Boy... Monkey D. Luffy!?"

The newly appointed Shichibukai, the Straw Hat Pirates who defeated Crocodile in Alabasta and stirred up the underworld, have somehow appeared in this devilish sea!?

Blackbeard's voice deepened, filled with disbelief and astonishment.

What puzzled him even more was...

Enel didn't react at all.

You should know... this guy's Observation Haki is so terrifying that it can cover the entire Sky Island.

Even Blackbeard, who had seen countless great things, was amazed by Enel's Observation Haki.

Even though they were in the Devil's Triangle at this moment, and the dense fog might have weakened their perception range, with Enel's Observation Haki, he should not have been completely unaware of such close proximity and such clear movements.

Brook's presence might be less noticeable due to his weak strength, but this close proximity didn't attract Enel's attention at all...

Unless they can teleport, it means they have the ability to block out Observation Haki!?

“Hahaha…” Blackbeard suddenly grinned, but the previous arrogance was gone, replaced by a sinister calculation. “This is… quite a spectacle.”

He released Brooke's hand, letting the skeleton fall onto the deck with a "thud," his gaze fixed on the top of the castle.

"The arrival of the new Shichibukai is quite an honor for the Blackbeard Pirates."

At the top of the castle, V slowly raised his hand, lifting the frame of his glasses to make the light of the dark blue prosthetic eye shine through more clearly.

“Marshall D. Teach.” V’s voice was not loud, but each word was clear. “I never expected to meet you so soon.”

"Sorry, but competitors are enemies!"

"Your presence has seriously disrupted my plans."

"not to mention……"

At this point, V suddenly shut his mouth and took a step back, making way for Luffy, who was eagerly waiting, to appear.

Just then, the thick fog began to dissipate slightly, gradually revealing Luffy's figure in the moonlight.

He clenched his fists and roared angrily at Blackbeard:

"You bastard! How dare you treat Ace like this!"

"I will absolutely not let you get away with this!!!"

Chapter 120 Straw Hat Crew vs. Black Organization (Seeking monthly votes~)

Luffy leaped from the top of the castle, his rubber arms extending with a "whoosh," and he crashed into the center of the deck like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of splinter wood and dust.

He straightened up, his eyes burning with fury beneath his straw hat, staring intently at Blackbeard.

"Straw Hat Boy!?"