Chapter 03 - Second Year!

[Chapter Size: 1000 Words]

Third Person POV.

Triangle Florian, The first half of the Grand Line.

...

...

In the same boat, another year has passed in the Florian Triangle in a continuous cycle of fog and solitude.

In that place, a naked skeleton, whose appearance had become even more imposing and grim than before, was in the midst of intense training on the empty deck of the same ship. His eyes had gained an even more intense glow.

"9998, 9999, 10000!" Brook's voice echoed across the deck as he completed his series of push-ups. An old anchor he had taken from the ship itself was tied to his back, exponentially increasing the difficulty of the exercise. With each push-up, a sound of bones cracking could be heard, but he did not stop.

After the last push-up, he threw the anchor onto the deck with a loud bang to the side, standing up. "This weight... is no longer enough," he murmured to himself, watching the cracks in his bones slowly close. "It seems I need a better challenge if I want to get even stronger..."

Returning to the center of the deck, he began practicing with his sword, moving with lethal grace. Each strike cut the air with precision, each movement was a ballet of death. "My fencing... has improved, but it's still far below my desire..." he said, practicing slashes and thrusts against an invisible enemy.

Suddenly, he focused on the sword and a green fog began to surround it, "Let's test the power of the underworld." Brook murmured as he thrust his sword forward, and a line of ice ran from it across the deck. Ice tips formed and grew in a deadly fashion. "It's good, I would say it's even better than the post-skip Brook."

Then he stopped, "Now, the real test..." whispered Brook. Concentrating, he began to manipulate the dark energies of the Yami Yami no Mi. Darkness emanated from his skeletal hands, forming a black fog coming out of his head and body while his feet were filled with darkness. The energy burst from him, feeling his ability and how he developed his fruit.

Brook canceled his darkness at that moment, then walked to the edge of the ship, contemplating the thick fog that surrounded him far from the ship, as he lived sucking everything in with his Yami-Yami no Mi. "One year... has it been that long?" He reflected, thinking about the isolation and solitary training. "It seems it's time for me to start my plan."

He stood up and looked around, this place had become his sanctuary, when he thought he would go mad from being here alone, but his will to become stronger kept him going day after day.

He clenched his fist and stepped down on the edge of the ship, making it crack easily with the impact as Brook looked at his bony hand. "Physical power is not bad, but it's still not enough to shock the world, far from it." He murmured, while looking at the damage.

"Soru and Geppo were two techniques I prioritized and have mastered in this time, physical strength is okay now and with the developed fruits, they are enough to kill one of the shichibukais..." He said with some satisfaction.

"I have a feeling of emptiness without my shadow and as soon as I get it back, I intend to make Moria pay for it!" Said Brook in his dark voice.

Brook had been wearing himself out in the last few weeks, the Straw Hats hadn't appeared, which means that Brook is in a time before the start of the original work. Now, his first plan was to retrieve his shadow and kill Moria.

He left the deck and went inside the cabin, finally deciding to act today after some rest. A moment later, he came out wearing a robe he had found on the old ship. He was no longer the goofy skeleton with long legs and a strange suit; here, he looked like a true creature of the underworld, a lord of death, someone who would terrify the world with his first appearance in a newspaper.

He walked back to his usual chair and sat down, wanting to have a short rest without newspapers, since he had completed them all. After his bones returned to normal, he rose from the chair in the middle of the deck, looking around, he couldn't help but murmur.

Brook stood on the deck of the ship, deeply inhaling the fog that enveloped everything around him. With a determined glint in his empty eyes, he mentally prepared himself for the next step of his journey. "Let's begin," he said in a low voice.

With a quick and precise movement, he kicked the ground hard, shooting into the air. He was using the Geppo and Soru techniques. With each step in the air, he rose higher, quickly reaching an altitude of over 500 meters. Up there, he paused for a moment, looking down through the dense fog.

"I am very well with my current techniques," Brook murmured, his tone of voice revealing confidence. "Now, let's look for Moria and kill him." His eyes scanned the darkness below, searching for any sign of the iconic ship called Thriller Bark.

Deciding on a direction at random, Brook began to move quickly over the fog, cutting through it with his high speed, alert for any colossal shadow that might appear in that place. He was now a hunter in search of his prey.

After nearly an hour of relentless searching, a massive silhouette began to form in the fog. The huge sails of Thriller Bark finally came into view. "Finally! HAHAHA!" Brook's laughter echoed in the air.

He then adjusted his trajectory, heading toward the island. "I don't intend to appear in the middle of the island," he pondered aloud. "Let's start from a coast, since I want to see the ghost island that Moria created!"

Brook descended at speed, approaching the island. He chose not to be silent, as his body flew like a rocket towards that coast before crashing into the ground.