Ghostly green flames suddenly tore through the dazzling light of evolution, then rapidly swelled and expanded.
In the blink of an eye, a green skeletal wraith—its size not much smaller than the ravenous skeleton opposite it—appeared in the very center of the battlefield.
"Yohohohoho~"
A strange, rhythmic laugh, as if echoing from the depths of the soul itself, resounded across heaven and earth.
After completing his evolution, Brook's body floated forward slowly as he locked eyes with Saint Abyss across from him.
"With this, your ability is no longer a threat to me."
Brook grinned widely.
Although this wasn't a complete Pokémon-ization—and he hadn't even achieved what Zoro had repeatedly suggested, namely "using Pokémon energy outside the body"…
Ironically, it was precisely this most basic form of Pokémon-ization that allowed Brook to shed the very weakness Saint Abyss had been exploiting!
That's right!
The path he had evolved along was a single, pure Ghost-type evolution.
Abandoning the Ice-type power that once allowed him to unleash tremendous combat strength, he had completely transformed into a pure Ghost-type being!
By all logic, this should have been a flawed—or at least incomplete—Pokémon-ization.
Yet now, it allowed Brook to completely escape the suppressive advantage Saint Abyss once held over him.
Because at this very moment—
He no longer had a skeletal body at all!!!
Even though, in his wraith form, he could still be harmed by forces like Armament Haki, which restrain all sinister entities…
This also granted Brook far more possibilities!
"What kind of Devil Fruit power is this!?"
Sensing that Brook no longer carried the fresh, tantalizing "scent" he had been expecting, Saint Abyss's skeletal mask twisted with anger and confusion.
Someone who should have been nothing more than a minor, nameless member of the Straw Hat Pirates was now unleashing one shocking ability after another—even to his own astonishment.
A deep sense of unease surged within Saint Abyss.
Yet at that moment, Brook let out his uniquely melodic laughter once more.
"Yohohohoho~"
"This isn't a Devil Fruit ability at all…"
Whoosh—
A cold glint flashed through his eerie eyes.
Although he hadn't activated Ice-type Pokémon-ization, that didn't mean he had completely lost control over Ice-type energy.
It was simply that, in this form, the effects of Ghost-type moves far surpassed those of any other attribute!
"Huh?!"
Expecting Brook to boast like an ordinary pirate about the source of his power, Saint Abyss froze for a moment when Brook abruptly cut himself off.
Not a Devil Fruit ability!?
Then what is it!?
Finish your sentence already!
Saint Abyss burned with rage.
But in the very next second, Brook—now fully wraith-like—suddenly conjured a spectral electric guitar out of thin air. From the ghostly flames, a massive arm extended outward and struck the strings with force.
Vmmmmm—!!!
A deep, vibrating resonance thundered across the island, carrying the power of music itself.
"Welcome to the world of souls, young man!!!"
Brook shouted loudly.
The next instant, countless spirits burst forth from his body. Like mischievous sprites, they spiraled erratically through the sky before suddenly diving straight into Saint Abyss's skeletal body.
"What is this?!"
Alarm flashed in Saint Abyss's eyes.
He immediately coated his entire body in Armament Haki.
In an instant, the once withered skeletal behemoth turned pitch-black.
However—
Although many of the spirits shattered and vanished upon colliding with his Haki-covered body…
Their sheer numbers ensured that quite a few still managed to slip inside him.
What Saint Abyss never expected was that—
These invading spirits didn't weaken him in the slightest.
Instead, they seemed to bring him… unexpected benefits!?
Before he could make sense of it, a strange yet powerful force suddenly surged within his body.
"This… this is…"
Feeling the changes taking place inside him, shock spread across his face once more.
Even without knowing what Brook had done, at this moment he felt his soul brimming with power!
As a Devil Fruit user of the ravenous skeleton, Saint Abyss might appear similar to Brook with his skeletal form, but in truth, he was a purely physical damage dealer.
His Devil Fruit had never enhanced his soul in any way.
Yet just now—
For the first time ever, Saint Abyss had felt the strengthening of his soul!
Sharper perception, more refined control over his body, and even a power he had never dared to imagine—Conqueror's Haki—seemed as though it could be replicated through some alternative means.
The sensation was intoxicating.
And at the same time, deeply puzzling.
Saint Abyss raised his head, staring in confusion at Brook, who continued to play his bizarre music.
Even after joining the God's Knights and encountering countless strange and monstrous opponents, this was the first time he had ever seen someone fight by strengthening their enemy.
He wasn't naïve enough to believe this was a mistake on Brook's part.
Whether it was Brook's expression, completely immersed in the music, or the feeling Brook had consistently given him—
It all told Saint Abyss one thing clearly.
He had already fallen into Brook's trap.
Yet even now, he had no idea how to respond to Brook's offensive.
At the same time, as the song came to an end, a sharp gleam flashed in Brook's eyes.
Seeing his Trick-or-Treat move successfully take effect, a surge of joy rose within his heart.
Not long after joining the Straw Hat Pirates, Brook had come to a painful realization—
Without a physical body, it was extremely difficult for him to surpass his crewmates in powers that relied on vitality and flesh, such as Armament Haki.
So for a long time, he had been searching for his true advantage.
Although Red had once told him that his Pokémon ability was extraordinarily powerful—capable of turning the tables against stronger foes—
The triggering of wandering spirits was inherently probabilistic. And as the gap in strength between him and his enemies widened, the chance of activation only grew smaller.
Relying on sheer luck was clearly not a long-term solution.
Thankfully…
All of that changed after Brook successfully achieved Pokémon-ization!
This incomplete Pokémon-ization, limited to Ghost-type alone, seemed like a lack of mastery—but it allowed him to completely shed the constraints of the physical body and gain a pure soul-form!
And that made Brook realize—
If the shortcomings of the body were impossible to overcome, why not embrace the flaw and abandon physical power altogether, devoting himself fully to cultivating soul power—something exceedingly rare even within the Straw Hat Pirates!?
When Brook shared this idea with Red, his Trainer, he received enthusiastic support.
And the Trick-or-Treat move he had just used was a Ghost-type technique Red had painstakingly farmed for him—capturing countless Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist with Poké Balls to obtain it!
Trick-or-TreatGhost-type, status move.
Effect: Temporarily grants the target the Ghost type!
As everyone knows—
Ghost-type moves deal double effectiveness against Ghost-type Pokémon!
So the current situation on the battlefield was—
A Brook who possessed at least three Ghost-type moves, facing a "Pokémon" with Ghost typing but no Pokémon moves at all!
After entering incomplete Pokémon-ization, Brook's body was already saturated with Ghost-type energy, allowing his Ghost-type moves to achieve astonishing effects.
And when those effects were doubled…
The resulting power was almost unbelievable!
This—
Was Brook's current combat style.
If he couldn't defeat his opponent directly—
Then he would drag them into his own domain…
And defeat them there!!!
(End of Chapter)