In a sea region not far from Whole Cake Island—close enough to be relevant, but far enough to avoid detection—
"Alright, everyone,"
A white dove, which had been curled up on the deck with its eyes closed, suddenly lifted its head from under its wings.
It stretched, flapped its wings, and struck a pose like it was waking up from a nap.
"It's time to move."
"Phew~~"
The tall Gion let out a sigh of relief. Even from dozens of nautical miles away, they could clearly sense that overwhelming Haki from Whole Cake Island, splitting the clouds and shaking the sea. But Roman's white dove, which served as their communication tool, looked completely unfazed—like it could sleep through the end of the world. That made her a little worried.
"I thought you were pinned down so badly, you couldn't even send a message."
"No… it's worse than that."
The white dove shook its head.
"Blackbeard Teach has a move called 'Dark Space.' It can banish people into a pitch-black void. I got caught in it for a moment just now... but everything is going according to plan. You can make your move now."
The Blackbeard Pirates weren't just the commanders and captains stationed at Whole Cake Island. They had tens of thousands of elite members and powerful subordinates spread across other islands. If they were allowed to regroup, even the Straw Hat crew would get exhausted fighting them in waves.
"Alright!"
With a serious expression, Garp straightened his stance from his usual relaxed posture. His broad chest rose, his stomach tightened, and his presence expanded. From looking like an average tall man, he suddenly seemed to stand at an Admiral's height. His commanding voice echoed without the need for a Den Den Mushi.
"All warships, listen up! Target: The Blackbeard Pirates!"
"No prisoners! Eliminate them all!"
Under Akainu's leadership, the era where pirates could just surrender and end up in Impel Down was long over.
And the Blackbeard Pirates weren't like other pirate crews that claimed territory, collected taxes, and slowly turned into 'evil kingdoms.' They were true pirates—pillaging, murdering, and destroying everything in their path. Every single one of them deserved execution.
"Roman, be careful over there."
Although this was a joint operation, it wasn't something they could openly acknowledge. Most of the Marines were only responsible for wiping out the Blackbeard Pirates' forces on the outskirts. As for the top commanders and Blackbeard himself—
"Don't worry. 'We' will handle it."
————
"Can't you just fight me properly with swords?"
Zoro stood in the middle of the battlefield, which had been cleared of fighters. Behind him, Charlotte Smoothie was covered in blood.
"Hey, can you still stand?"
Zoro tossed a stack of green paper behind him, which landed in Smoothie's hands. She looked at it in surprise.
"Go help the others. This is my battlefield."
As she felt the life energy flowing from the paper into her body, she looked up at Zoro. He held Wado Ichimonji in his mouth, gripping Enma and Sandai Kitetsu in each hand. All three swords were coated in Haki, turning them pitch black.
He seriously thinks I'm in the way? Me, one of the Three Sweet Commanders?
"Hah… interesting."
Smoothie absorbed the energy, wiped her wounds clean, and watched as they sealed shut. Then, she let her blood flow onto her sword, dyeing the blade a deep crimson—turning it even deadlier.
"I'll leave it to you, three-sword man."
With that, Smoothie turned and left without hesitation.
Zoro grinned as he faced the now-empty battlefield. His smile was like a tiger rising or a dragon opening its eyes.
As for his opponent, Shiryuu?
He had completely blended into the air—silent, invisible, undetectable. He was like a legendary blade hidden in the dark, ready to strike at any moment. A presence so lethal, yet untouchable.
But—
"I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman. No matter what kind of Devil Fruit power you have—"
You won't stop me.
"Three-Sword Style: Mind's Eye."
Zoro slowly closed his eyes, and the world disappeared from view.
His Observation Haki wasn't as advanced as Luffy's, who could see the future. It wasn't like Roman's, which could see through everything. But if he focused within a ten-meter radius—
In that moment, every bit of light, sound, air movement, magnetic shift, and even the flow of invisible Haki—
All of it became crystal clear to him.
A slight indentation in the ground… A sudden gust of wind… A concentrated but deadly burst of Haki slicing through the air—
There!
CLANG—!!
A deafening, metallic clash shook the battlefield, like two massive chainsaws grinding against each other at high speed.
A towering figure suddenly emerged in the air, wearing the long coat of an Impel Down chief warden. But where the rank insignia should have been, there were only skull emblems.
It was 'Rain' Shiryuu.
As their pitch-black katanas clashed, both fighters felt the impact through their bodies.
The ground beneath them trembled. Then, within a radius of several dozen meters, the earth silently crumbled into dust and sank away.
The clash of their Haki-infused blades was so intense that it seemed to slice the very earth into dust!
"Now this is getting interesting!"
With a wicked grin, Shiryuu swung his sword freely, dueling against another world-class swordsman. Their massive sword slashes flew wildly through the air, forcing everyone nearby to retreat at full speed.
Meanwhile—
"Ahhh—!"
"Careful! Don't look into his eyes!!"
With just a single glance, "The Judge" Henry instantly took down Charlotte Snack, a pirate worth 600 million berries. This left the Straw Hat Crew and the other members of the Charlotte family in shock and fear.
Not everyone had someone like Chopper, a miracle doctor who could save lives. Even Robin and Jinbe weren't eager to face such a terrifying ability, let alone anyone else.
At that moment, Henry moved through the battlefield like an unstoppable force. That is—
"Ahhh! Stay away!! A zombie—!"
Brook flailed his arms in a panic, blocking Henry's path. Even though Henry himself had a ghostly appearance, he couldn't help but get annoyed.
"Of all people, YOU have no right to say that!"
A skeleton afraid of a "zombie"… seriously? Wasn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?
"Shadow Step!"
In a flash, "The Judge" Henry vanished like a ghost, reappearing right in front of Brook. The blade in his hand gleamed coldly as it slashed straight for Brook's skull!
Even before gaining a Devil Fruit ability, Henry was a feared bounty hunter worth 400 million berries. He had plundeRed the Aloofless cities and was once known as a "demon" in the New World. The irony was that such a man had ended up eating the "Judgment Fruit."
"Ahhh! I'm just a poor, helpless afro-skeleton—!"
Brook yelped as he desperately blocked Henry's attacks with his "Soul Sword," retreating step by step under the relentless assault. Henry's thin forehead twitched with irritation.
A mere skeleton…
"Watch closely—"
With a swift twist and flick of his sailor's blade, Henry forced Brook's defenses wide open. Of course, this maneuver left his own stance slightly off, only giving him enough room for a shoulder bash or an elbow strike.
But—
"My eyes!!"
In that instant, a pair of eerie, flame-covered eyes burned their way into Brook's hollow sockets. The tall skeleton froze on the spot, as if someone had just unplugged his power source.
"Heh, and here I thought skeletons were immune to this trick."
Henry smirked. So even a pile of bones still had a soul… and sins. That was too easy.
Having "defeated" Brook in one move, Henry turned away to find his next target.
But what he didn't see was that, behind him, the skeleton he thought was "dead" had a flickering, ghostly-white flame reignite in his hollow eyes.
It was the fire of someone who had stood at the banks of the River Styx, surrounded by countless lost souls, and still refused to give up hope.
It was the gaze of someone staring up at heaven from the depths of hell.
"Ah… what a terrifying ability…"
"?! Impossible—!"
Henry spun around, eyes wide in shock as he saw Brook standing back up.
He swore this skeleton was no "saint" who only healed and saved people. Brook had taken lives before—whether as a royal guard or later as a swordsman of the Rumbar Pirates. Many had fallen to his rapier.
And now, all the pain he had once inflicted was being reflected back onto him. Yet Brook endured it all without a word.
"Compared to the pain of losing my crew… the pain of 'death' is nothing."
The agony of watching his friends die one by one, the loneliness and fear in his final moments, the emptiness of his resurrection…
Day after day, imagining his crewmates still beside him… waking up only to find himself alone again…
"If you want to talk about sins, then yes, I am burdened with them. If this suffering can atone for my past, I will gladly bear it all.
But when it comes to my friends—"
In an instant, ghostly white flames flared up in Brook's eye sockets, making even Henry, who had eaten the Judgment Fruit, instinctively take a step back!
Because in those flames, he saw the River of Three Crossings, the Twin Trees of Samsara, and…
Countless wandering souls!
The Judgment Fruit, as a rule-based Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, was not without its countermeasures. If one had enough willpower to endure the pain it inflicted, enough resolve to face every soul they had ever harmed, and enough conviction to stand by their own path of killing, accepting all consequences—then they could overcome its effects!
For example:
Garp: "Fists and suffering—these are the only paths to strength!"
Dragon: "Only through great sacrifice can the sun and moon be replaced with a new sky!"
Akainu: "My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is for justice!"
If one could endure it, then the Judgment ability would instead become a way to burn away unnecessary doubts and burdens, refining the soul even further! The darkness spreading across Brook's body was the best proof of that! Of course, the icy frost surrounding it could still freeze souls as always.
And after thirty years of wandering through the mist, Brook had long since made up his mind!
"For my crewmates, I fear neither fire nor blade! If you want to hurt them, you'll have to step over my ashes first!"
In that instant, Captain Henry, who had just effortlessly taken down several strong opponents, suddenly felt his cold heart gripped by an invisible force. A terrifying sense of unease surged within him! Before he could even pinpoint the source of the danger, a wave of icy blue flames had already expanded in his vision.
"Look into my eyes—!"
????
The world blurred for a moment.
When Henry came back to his senses, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast, endless river… No. The countless hands tightly grasping his feet made him realize—he wasn't standing on water.
He was standing atop a sea of corpses!
When he looked down, the faces that stared back at him were—
"A traitor like you…!"
A dead officer who had died with his eyes wide open.
"Why? Everything I had, I gave to you…!"
A cousin lying in a pool of blood.
"God, please look upon your servant! I do not pray for my own life, but to stop this evil…!"
A nun bound to a wooden cross, used as a human shield.
And more. So many more.
From all directions, they surged toward him like a giant, murky tide, swallowing the infamous pirate whole.
Then, silence.
… "Yohohoho~~ Even though I have no eyes."
Adjusting the hat on his head, Brook turned around and walked away, leaving behind only a frozen corpse, still in a sword-swinging stance.
(End of Chapter)
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