Recruit Brook And Kill The Zombie Army

A skeleton holding a cup of black tea appeared on a nearby dilapidated pirate ship. He stood tall, with his afro hair making him even more conspicuous. His mere presence, combined with the eerie atmosphere of the Devil's Triangle, was enough to frighten any timid sailor without him needing to say a word.

Yamato and Hancock, unaccustomed to such sights, immediately prepared for battle. Arias, however, raised his hand to stop them. With a simple motion, an invisible vortex appeared in his palm, pulling at Brook's very soul. The skeleton, still holding his teacup, suddenly felt a powerful force tugging at his essence, and his soul was quickly captured by Arias, leaving his skeletal body to collapse backward.

Brook's disembodied soul screamed in terror, "What's happening? Who are you?"

Arias casually toyed with the captured soul, flicking it between his fingers. "How about joining me? I can show you a wider world," he proposed, getting straight to the point. Brook, still dazed and confused, hesitated only for a moment before eagerly agreeing. "Alright!" he replied. After all, he had been trapped in this desolate place for far too long, and the thought of companionship and adventure was too tempting to refuse.

Arias smiled, flicked his fingers, and Brook's soul returned to his skeletal body. The skeleton stood up once more and bowed deeply to Arias. "My lord, I am Brook. It's an honor to meet you."

Arias then introduced himself. "My name is Arias. Please gather your belongings and come aboard our ship."

Brook didn't have much to pack—just his hat, cane sword, violin, and piano. As a musician, he couldn't part with his instruments, even if he had to leave behind his sword.

Once on board the Dawn, Brook suddenly hesitated. "Your Excellency Arias, I can't leave just yet."

"Oh?" Arias responded, already suspecting the reason. Considering the timeline, his guess was likely correct.

"My shadow was stolen by a devil. If I'm exposed to sunlight, I'll die," Brook explained, confirming Arias's suspicions. It seemed that Moonlight Moria's Thriller Bark had arrived in the area.

"Do you know where this devil is?" Arias asked, unfazed. With his abilities, even Moria posed little threat.

"Yes, I do," Brook replied. As they sailed onward, Brook's skull eyes nearly bulged out when he saw Hancock, Yamato, and Salome. "Beautiful ladies, may I see your pan—" Before he could finish his usual inappropriate comment, Arias quickly used his spiritual powers to capture Brook's soul again, kneading it in his hand like dough. "Those are my wives!" he sternly reminded Brook.

Brook's soul begged for mercy, and Arias released him, deciding that Brook would need to be kept on a tight leash in the future to avoid any trouble.

Using his monocular, Arias checked on the younger crew members, then directed the Dawn to return and pick them up. As Brook had described, Hogback had already begun creating a zombie army in collaboration with Moria. It was time to test the courage of the younger crew members once again.

After gathering everyone back on board, it was clear that all had been exploring, except for Chopper and Usopp, who were still cowering in the corner. These two needed more training, so Arias devised another plan.

"Yohoho!" Brook suddenly appeared behind them, his ghostly voice sending chills down their spines. "Ahhh!" they screamed, the fear they had just managed to suppress rushing back in full force. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally recovered, glaring resentfully at Arias.

Guided by Brook, they arrived at the port of Thriller Bark. As they disembarked, Brook watched in shock as Arias nonchalantly pocketed the massive Daybreak ship.

Once on the island, Arias, Hancock, Yamato, and the others quickly disappeared into the darkness, moving at incredible speed. To the younger crew members, it seemed as if they had vanished into thin air.

Before anyone could react to their disappearance, the ground near them suddenly began to stir. "Hiyori-sister, why is the ground moving over there?" Nami asked, clinging tightly to Hiyori's back, clearly frightened. The atmosphere was even more unsettling than on the ghost ship.

Hiyori, though just as scared, tried to stay calm. "I'll go check it out," she said, taking a cautious step forward. But before she could get too close, the earth split open, and a zombie leaped out, rushing toward them with bared teeth and claws.

"Ahhh!" The group screamed again, but Brook was right behind them, swiftly drawing his cane sword and slicing the zombie in two. For the younger crew, this journey had been one terrifying thrill after another. Fortunately, the zombie army was still in its early stages, so there weren't too many of them.

However, their presence had not gone unnoticed. Moria, alerted to the invasion, ordered Absalom to intercept them with a horde of zombies.

"Is that Absalom?" Arias muttered, looking at the handsome blond man leading the zombies. He barely recognized him without the beastly modifications he would later undergo at Hogback's hands. It seemed that Absalom hadn't yet been transformed, which made sense given how recently Hogback had allied with Moria.

Absalom's eyes immediately locked onto Hancock. "What a beautiful woman! I want you to be my bride!" he declared, full of confidence. But before he could make a move, Arias sent a powerful blast his way. Absalom narrowly dodged, but one of his arms was shattered in the process.

"So strong..." Absalom muttered in shock. He then activated his Devil Fruit power, the Clear-Clear Fruit, becoming invisible. However, his presence was still detectable by his breath, and Arias, with his keen observation and spiritual abilities, could easily pinpoint his location.

Realizing the danger, Absalom hesitated to attack and instead commanded the zombie army to charge. The most formidable among them was a zombie wielding a black katana, its swordsmanship far surpassing that of the others.

"Ryuma?" Arias recognized the legendary swordsman. With a wave of his hand, he stripped the shadows that were animating the corpse, revealing that they carried fragments of their owners' souls. The Shadow-Shadow Fruit could control shadows, but it was no match for Arias's spiritual mastery.

As Brook's soul and others returned to their original bodies, the zombie fell lifeless. Arias reached out, and the black katana, Shusui, flew into his hand. It was said to be one of the world's hardest swords, and even though it was classified as a Great Grade Sword, its value was undeniable.

Pocketing the sword, Arias turned his attention to Absalom. With ghostly speed, he moved forward, grabbing Absalom by the neck before the man could react.