Dark, viscous blood shimmered with a crimson glow as it slowly seeped through the chilling layers of ice.
The glacier imprisoning Sanji began to tremble with deep, thunderous cracks.
CRACK… CRACK…
Fractures spread endlessly through the frozen mountain, webbing across its crystalline surface.
But none of this surprised Brook.
He didn't know exactly how powerful Sanji truly was, but the strength he had witnessed moments ago made it clear enough: this man was no ordinary fighter.
Brook had never expected his little sneak attack to bring Sanji down.
After all, they were crewmates, not enemies on a battlefield.
This was just a sparring match, a way to help Sanji better control the immense power he'd suddenly acquired.
Brook hadn't intended to harm him too much. His real goal was to remind Sanji that on the Grand Line, countless strange and unpredictable Devil Fruit users existed, and raw strength alone wasn't enough to survive.
He didn't know if his lesson would truly sink in for someone who'd never yet sailed the Grand Line…
But at the very least, the pain of this sparring session should make him remember it!
BOOM!!!
Just as Brook was lost in thought, the cracks in the glacier widened drastically.
It was as if a bomb had been planted within the ice.
With a deafening explosion, the entire frozen mountain shattered, erupting into a storm of glittering ice crystals.
The fragments sparkled like silver snow, filling the training hall with prismatic light, transforming it into a world of brilliance.
Yet, from this dazzling beauty… something terrifying emerged.
A figure stepped forth, eyes glowing with dark golden light, fangs bared, his presence radiating sheer dread.
It was a demon.
Sanji's once fair skin, graceful physique, and perfectly refined features were gone.
His chest bulged with muscle, biceps thick as steel cables, and his golden hair, now wild and blazing, had grown nearly to his waist.
Under the influence of the Gourmet Cells' power, Sanji's body had undergone a complete transformation.
But…
He clearly hadn't yet mastered this form.
Or perhaps, his current strength wasn't enough to fully control the overwhelming power within him.
Steam rose from his expanded muscles as his body slowly shrank back to its original shape, though his eyes still burned with that golden demonic gleam.
"I understand now…"
The words slipped quietly from Sanji's lips, a soft murmur to let Brook know he'd taken the lesson to heart.
Then, in defiance of his usual gentlemanly composure, Sanji tore off his tattered suit and shirt, revealing his lean, muscular torso.
SSSSSSHHH,
Steam hissed from his feet, as though scorched by infernal heat.
In an instant, his soles glowed like molten lava.
Those dark golden eyes lifted toward Brook, who returned the gaze with a faint, knowing smile.
The skeletal musician's expression was calm, even playful, in stark contrast to Sanji's burning intensity.
And then, the bone sword in Brook's hand ignited with a green-blue flame, ghostly and flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.
For a brief moment, the world was silent.
Then, both fighters moved, at the same instant!
BOOM!!!
The flaming bone sword met Sanji's blazing kick midair.
"Diable Jambe!"
"Nocturne: Soul Banquet!"
A crimson blaze clashed against emerald fire, the two forces grinding against each other in a storm of light and heat.
The air screamed as the shockwaves spread, rolling through the room like a storm.
Then, suddenly, they dispersed.
SSHHH,
The two broke apart, sliding backward several paces.
Sanji stomped down hard, shaking off shards of frost from his legs.
He looked up at Brook's still-burning sword and muttered,
"So this is… a Devil Fruit ability, huh…"
Though Brook's blade burned with fire, after the clash, Sanji realized that flame had turned cold.
It radiated frost, leaving behind a biting chill instead of heat.
If he'd been even a second slower to retreat, or if Brook had attacked more aggressively, his leg might have been completely frozen solid.
The sea really is full of surprises…
Even refined Brook used such strange, unpredictable techniques.
Looks like I can't keep seeing the world through the eyes of my old self anymore…
Because, I'm not that same man anymore!!!
========
Sanji stomped the ground, launching himself upward again.
Power erupted from his legs, propelling him like a rocket.
Suspended in the air, he raised one leg high, golden eyes locking onto Brook below.
Every muscle in his leg tensed, pulsing with violent energy.
"High-Level, Meat Shredder!!!"
BOOM!!!
A wave of scorching wind pressure roared downward, a blazing shockwave crashing straight toward Brook.
Facing the oncoming strike, Brook's bone sword shimmered, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a piano.
Moving with impossible speed, Brook seated himself before it.
His skeletal fingers glowed faintly with dark energy… and struck the keys.
TANG!!!
A sound like the vibration of the soul itself rang out, powerful and haunting.
For a moment, the world fell silent.
It was as though time had stopped, and the world itself waited for Brook's performance.
His black fingers danced across the keys, colliding and separating like twin armies locked in delicate battle.
Each motion was precise, deliberate… a matter of life and death.
From the eerie piano came a melody filled with rage and sorrow, a lament against the world.
It cursed. It mocked. It wept.
All the grief and regret of life were poured into his song, a message whispered to the living:
Cherish the present.
========
WHOOSH!
A blazing light flared before the piano.
From the fire emerged a massive skeleton, clutching a grim white violin.
Then another.
And another…
One by one, skeletal warriors materialized, standing before Brook in formation, summoned by the power of his haunting tune.
The music continued, beautiful yet mournful, its rhythm repeating like a memory that refused to fade.
Sanji's fiery attack descended, but Brook did not flinch.
He kept playing, his melody rising higher and higher.
BOOM…
One skeletal warrior leapt forward, crossing its bone clubs in defiance.
It collided with the oncoming shockwave, and shattered instantly into glittering dust.
The fragments fell softly to the ground.
BOOM…
Another skeleton charged, then another, each one hurling itself into destruction like moths to a flame.
Third. Fourth. Fifth…
They appeared, only to fall again in tragic beauty, sacrificing themselves to the song.
Their brief existence ended as they burst apart into fine ash, vanishing into the melody's mournful echo.
Then, with a sharp, resounding note,
CLANG!
The grand symphony ceased.
All the skeletal warriors crumbled into dust.
"Hah…"
Brook exhaled a faint mist of frost.
In the warm training room, the breath turned into a thin streak of ice, hanging in the air like a ghostly blade.
DRIP.
From his pale skull, a single teardrop fell, a tear of farewell, of sorrow unspoken.
It shimmered faintly before vanishing.
Then,
The music began again.
The melody, deep and low, rose with each measure, transforming into a force that seemed to stir the soul itself.
The notes reached out like invisible hands, gathering the dust and bone fragments scattered on the floor.
A dark, binding power pulled them together, fusing them into shape once more.
The fragments reassembled piece by piece, forming something vast and terrible.
A towering skeleton giant, its bones gleaming jet-black, loomed over Sanji.
BOOM!
Sanji's fiery attack struck the creature's massive arm, but the energy was absorbed completely, as if swallowed by darkness itself.
Not even a ripple remained.
"What… what is that!?"
Sanji landed, staring up at the towering figure, easily over twenty meters tall.
A sinister light gleamed from its hollow eyes.
The giant raised its arm, pale blue fire gathering in its hand, and from that flame, a long black blade slowly took shape.
SHIIING!!!
The enormous sword sang, its tone blending perfectly with Brook's piano.
The melody shifted, at once mournful and majestic.
Brook, lost in his playing, whispered softly through the music:
"The Evil God…"
"Has descended."
=============
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