Outside a bar in the lawless zone of the Sabaody Archipelago...
The notorious Golden Lion, Shiki, extended an invitation to the musician and seasoned fighter, Brook, hoping to recruit him as a crewmate.
"Shiki, the up-and-coming overlord of the New World, the Rocks Pirates, will soon dominate the era. You might not realize it yet, but you could end up on the losing side against Rocks. Who knows? You might even be forced to submit to him," Brook said, his hollow eyes glinting with mischief.
He wasn't entirely serious—mostly, he just wanted to ruffle Shiki's feathers and plant a little doubt in his mind. If he could delay Shiki's inevitable allegiance to Rocks, all the better.
"What?! Submit?! Are you out of your damn mind?! I'm the Golden Lion, Shiki!"
Shiki roared in outrage, glaring at Brook for daring to suggest such a thing.
"You don't want to join me? Fine! But insulting our captain like that—now you've pissed me off!"
Before Brook could respond, a man stepped forward—Scarlet "Bloody Fist," one of Shiki's officers. His metal knuckles gleamed ominously as he charged forward, fists stirring up violent gusts of wind.
"Bloody Fist: Knuckle Strike!"
"I was just offering some friendly advice!" Brook quipped, raising his cane sword to intercept the blow.
Scarlet's full-force punch slammed against the blade—but Brook didn't budge. Not an inch.
"No way! Captain Scarlet's full-powered punch—blocked with just one hand?!"
The surrounding pirates gawked in disbelief. Scarlet had carved his reputation out of the corpses of both Marines and rival pirates. That punch alone should've shattered a man's defenses.
"I refuse to believe it! No one with a bounty lower than mine should be able to stop my attacks so easily!"
"Bloody Fist: Iron Elbow!"
"Bloody Fist: Steel Knee!"
...
Scarlet unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks, but Brook deflected each one with ease. Meanwhile, an eerie white frost began creeping up Scarlet's arms and legs, remnants of Brook's chilling ghostly aura. His movements grew sluggish.
"Enough, Scarlet. You're not his match."
Shiki's voice rang out, halting Scarlet's assault. He eyed Brook, his expression unreadable.
"Brook, you're stronger than I expected. If the Rumbar Pirates were still around, you'd probably be one of this year's Supernovas. Since you're not planning to set sail for the New World just yet, I won't push you... But how about a proper fight? Just for fun."
Shiki's fingers twitched. He was itching for a battle. The strongest Supernova of the year couldn't just let an opportunity like this slip by.
Brook hesitated. "I don't think I can win against you right now."
He had no illusions about the difference in their strength. If he'd been serious earlier, Scarlet would've been cut down already—but Shiki was on a whole different level.
"Hah! Don't worry, I won't go all out. If you ever change your mind, you're still welcome on my crew as a musician swordsman!"
Shiki's grin widened, his confidence unwavering.
"...Fine. I suppose I'd like to see just how far I've come."
With that, they moved to a more open area along the shore. Pirates—including Shakky and various onlookers—trailed after them, eager to witness the spectacle.
...
Standing at the water's edge, Brook remained tense, while Shiki looked completely at ease. The younger pirate almost seemed to be sizing him up like a veteran giving a junior a lesson.
"Kehehe... This should be interesting!"
With a sharp laugh, Shiki drew his twin swords.
Brook's hollow eyes widened slightly. "You already got your hands on Oto and Kogarashi...?"
(T/N: Oto and Kogarashi are a pair of double-edged swords wielded by "Golden Lion" Shiki.)
"Captain Shiki, I'll be in your care!"
Whoosh!
Brook vanished from sight, leaving behind a trail of icy mist. His cane sword was already drawn, stabbing fiercely at the point where the Golden Lion Shiki's twin blades crossed in defense.
"Fast... Even I almost couldn't keep up."
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Shiki's forehead. The easygoing expression he had moments ago was gone. His cigar clenched tightly between his teeth as his grip on his swords tightened.
A moment of carelessness, and he could have been in serious trouble.
With a powerful sweep, Shiki deflected Brook's cane sword and unleashed a flurry of golden slashes—dozens, then hundreds of razor-sharp sword waves, cutting off every possible escape route.
Brook shattered the incoming sword waves and pressed forward, his blade locking against Shiki's famed swords, "Oto" and "Kogarashi." He lunged, aiming straight for Shiki's wrist in an attempt to disarm him.
A massive sword wave erupted, sending Brook hurtling through the air.
"I'm not just a swordsman!" Shiki grinned, his cigar glowing as he took a deep puff. "Watch closely—this is my power!"
The coastline trembled as Shiki's Devil Fruit ability took hold. Enormous torrents of sand twisted into the shape of a lion, towering over ten meters high, baring its fangs as it lunged at Brook.
A flash of cold steel. In the next instant, Brook was already airborne, past the sand lion, his sword gleaming with a ghostly chill. The massive construct split cleanly in two, dissolving back into fine grains as they rained onto the shore.
"Jihahahaha! Not bad! Then how about a few more?"
With a wild laugh, Shiki summoned four more enormous sand lions. They roared as they pounced from all directions, cornering Brook like a pack of predators toying with their prey.
Shiki smirked as he watched Brook dart between them, clearly entertained.
Brook sheathed his cane sword and assumed a battoujutsu stance. A deep trench formed beneath his feet as he gathered his strength. The moment his blade flashed, all four sand lions were cleaved apart, instantly frozen by the chilling aura of the underworld.
Boom!
The frozen remains shattered as they crashed onto the beach, sending up a blinding cloud of sand.
"Hmph. Not bad at all, Soul King Brook."
Shiki's eyes narrowed slightly, impressed. His control over the sand lions had been completely broken—as if another force had disrupted his Devil Fruit power.
Brook, however, was panting heavily, his energy drained. That last attack had taken everything he had.
"I can't fight anymore, Shiki."
"Tch, is that all? I was just getting started!"
Shiki clicked his tongue, disappointed. He had been ready for another round, but seeing Brook's exhaustion, he sighed and sheathed "Oto" and "Kogarashi."
"Sorry to let you down, 'Rookie King.'"
"Jihahahaha! 'Rookie King'? Not bad!" Shiki laughed, his usual arrogance returning. "Of course, I stand above all others! There's no way a little pirate like you could take me down!"
Brook straightened, a ghostly gleam in his eyes as he spoke softly.
"Captain Shiki, as thanks for holding back, I've decided to share an opportunity with you."
Shiki raised a brow, intrigued. "Oh? What is it? A treasure map?"
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg