"What!?"
"Celeste Palace!?"
"How is that possible!?"
High above the sky, sensing that the presence of Celeste Palace had completely vanished, Alicia Mirabelagon's face instantly filled with disbelief and shock.
It wasn't that she believed her subordinate, Celeste Palace, to be overwhelmingly powerful—but at the very least…
He shouldn't have been dealt with this easily!
After all, his opponent was merely someone with a bounty of 300 million Beli!
That's right—at this moment, Alicia Mirabelagon had already recognized that Chopper was the Straw Hat Pirates' so-called "Giant Beast"!
Yet no matter how she thought about it, she simply couldn't understand why a member who had always remained so low-key within the Straw Hat crew could suddenly erupt with such terrifying power.
An attack spanning half an island…
To be honest, something like that wasn't difficult for Celeste Palace. In fact, he could have made it even larger in scale.
But true powerhouses never disperse their strength.
Even if they possessed the power to shatter an island, they would concentrate it entirely on their enemy, minimizing damage to the surroundings.
From that perspective, little Chopper clearly still had much to learn.
But that wasn't the point!!!
Alicia Mirabelagon's heart tightened.
If even the "Giant Beast," whom she had never considered particularly strong, possessed power far beyond her expectations…
Then did the other members of the Straw Hat crew also wield strength completely inconsistent with their intelligence reports!?
Almost instinctively, Alicia Mirabelagon turned her gaze toward another battlefield on Elegia.
And in the next instant—
Her pupils contracted sharply.
…
…
Meanwhile.
Upon the desiccated earth steeped in the aura of death, a pale green flash of light suddenly ignited.
Wrapped in ghostly underworld flames, Brook descended like lightning from the sky, gripping a pitch-black cane sword as he collided head-on with a massive skeleton below—one that bore an uncanny resemblance to himself.
However, in the very next moment…
That ferocious assault vanished, like a pebble sinking into the sea.
"Geh geh geh geh… it's useless!!!"
The giant skeleton suddenly spoke, letting out an exaggerated, eerie laugh.
"Your attacks are completely ineffective against me!!!"
"Pathetic Haki, a frail and powerless body…"
"Without flesh or muscle, you were never going to be my opponent!!!"
"Be obedient and let me absorb your bones—become part of my body!!!"
"Geh geh geh geh…"
The enormous skeleton abruptly raised the scythe in its hands and swung it viciously at Brook, who had yet to land.
"Damn it!!!"
The soul flames within Brook's eye sockets flared violently.
He kicked repeatedly through the air, desperately attempting to use Six Powers · Moonwalk to escape the scythe's reach.
Yet what Brook never expected was—
At that very moment, the skeletal monster suddenly opened its gaping jaws. From the abyss-like throat burst forth a chain composed entirely of bone arms, instantly seizing one of Brook's arms.
"Become part of me!!! Geh geh geh geh…"
A voice of unknown origin echoed in Brook's ears.
As the razor-sharp scythe blade descended toward his afro, fear flashed through his eyes.
Without hesitation, Brook swung his cane sword and slashed directly at the captured arm.
Rip—
A sharp tearing sound echoed through the air.
In the next instant, Brook's body transformed into a swift afterimage, narrowly escaping the Death Scythe's strike.
But at his left shoulder, only a severed upper arm bone remained.
Swoosh—
The whip-like bone tongue failed to achieve its goal, retreating unwillingly while dragging away half of Brook's hand bone.
Yet the moment that bone entered Saint Abyss's mouth, an expression of overwhelming astonishment appeared on his death-white skeletal face.
"Delicious!!! Absolutely delicious!!!"
"Is this the taste of fresh, vibrant bones!?"
"This is the best bone I've eaten in my entire life!!!"
"Completely different from those tainted by flesh or steeped in death!!!"
The colossal skeletal monster lifted its head, terrifying greed erupting from its hollow eye sockets as it stared at Brook.
Saint Abyss's body trembled uncontrollably as he spoke with genuine excitement:
"Little skeleton, I'm starting to like you!!!"
"Geh geh geh geh… geh geh geh geh…"
The Hungry Skeleton—a legendary evil yokai formed from the remains of those who died unexpectedly in desolate wilderness.
After consuming the Hungry Skeleton Fruit, Saint Abyss inherited the power of this legendary creature, allowing him to strengthen himself by devouring vast quantities of bones.
The stronger the bones, the greater the boost.
This was precisely why he ranked second only to the vice commander within the God's Knights.
And as a high-born Celestial Dragon, years of indulgent consumption had also given Saint Abyss some… unusual habits.
For example—
Tasting bones.
Whether this sensation was merely Saint Abyss's imagination or a genuine perception granted by the Hungry Skeleton was irrelevant.
What mattered was that, when it came to eating bones, Saint Abyss had developed an entire system of personal standards.
And Brook—
A living skeleton.
Whether due to his one-of-a-kind rarity, or the unique vitality that truly set him apart from all other skeletons—
He occupied an extraordinarily special position in Saint Abyss's heart.
"What a bone-chilling monster…"
Watching Saint Abyss swallow his arm and reveal such a twisted expression, Brook—having narrowly escaped death—couldn't help but shudder.
But in the very next second, his expression relaxed.
"Although… I don't have any bones to chill~"
"Yohohoho~"
As he spoke, Brook suddenly pulled out a strange bottle from his pocket, twisted off the cap, and gulped it down.
In the next moment—
From the spot where his arm had been severed, new bone rapidly regenerated!!!
In just a few seconds, his missing arm was completely restored—gleaming even whiter than before.
If not for the torn sleeve still hanging there, one might have thought the entire ordeal had been nothing but a dream.
"!!?"
Witnessing such an absurd scene, even Saint Abyss widened his hollow "eyes."
"You… what is going on!?"
He dropped his eerie laughter and stared at Brook in disbelief.
Brook flexed his brand-new arm and laughed openly.
"Milk + Super Potion—Chopper's special, Brook-exclusive recovery formula!!!"
He even raised the bottle toward Saint Abyss.
Printed on it was a cute illustration of chibi Chopper feeding milk to chibi Brook.
"..."
For a moment, the battlefield fell completely silent.
Saint Abyss glanced at the bottle, then at Brook's expression.
And finally, he reached one conclusion.
"You bastard!!! You're messing with me, aren't you!!!"
BOOM!!!
A terrifying wave of deathly aura erupted from Saint Abyss's skeletal body, crashing toward Brook like a tidal wave.
Crimson light flickered within his empty eye sockets.
In the next instant, Saint Abyss charged forward, his massive frame surging like a raging war chariot.
"I don't care what kind of ability that is!!!"
"Because a sweet skeleton buffet like you is exactly what I've always dreamed of!!!"
"Geh geh geh geh…"
With another sinister laugh, Saint Abyss raised his withered arm and swung the scythe—now coated in Armament Haki—straight at Brook once more.
This time, however, Brook had learned his lesson.
The instant Saint Abyss lunged, Brook had already prepared to evade.
The familiar bone-arm chain shot forth again—but this time, it only clawed up a handful of dirt.
Slash!!!
The scythe carved a perfectly clean gash across the ground.
But its intended target had vanished without a trace.
"The same trick won't work on me twice!!!"
Whoosh—
Brook's figure appeared behind Saint Abyss, his expression eerily calm.
And in the next moment, the ghostly flames in his eyes suddenly flared.
"I have to admit, my training still isn't enough."
"Even as an old pile of bones, my mastery of Haki and physical strength are far inferior to yours."
"And your bone-devouring ability poses a threat I can't ignore."
"So…"
"I've decided to meet you in an entirely new form~"
"Rejoice, skeletal monster."
"Because aside from my companions, you're the first to witness my brand-new form!!!"
Brook sheathed his cane sword, raised it high, then slowly drew the blade once more.
The polished edge reflected his resolute gaze.
In the next instant, Brook shouted:
"Pokémon Form—Activate!!!"
Hua—
Sacred evolutionary light burst forth from Brook's body.
After wandering between the underworld and the living world for decades—
And after months alongside the Straw Hat Pirates—
This soul that had long drifted in darkness…
Finally ignited its own dawn.
(End of Chapter)