Chapter 83

The ship sailed within it, utterly unable to discern any direction.

On the pirate ship.

Luo En lay on a deck chair, drinking fruit juice while holding a book in his hands to read.

Every pirate on this vessel had been exterminated by him; consequently, the vast sums of money and treasures collected for its captain, Desha, to purchase a Devil Fruit, along with the food and weapons originally supplied to the numerous pirates, all fell into Luo En's hands.

From among these treasures and weapons, Luo En also found some interesting items.

For instance, this Devil Fruit encyclopedia currently in his hands.

On its pages, he saw quite a few familiar Devil Fruits.

Such as the Paramecia-type Gum-Gum Fruit and String-String Fruit, the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit and Smoke-Smoke Fruit, and so on...

"Devil Fruits, huh..."

Gazing at the Devil Fruits in the illustrated book, Luo En thought silently, "If there happens to be a suitable powerful fruit, should I eat one myself..."

He turned his head toward the left.

"Yohohoho, yohohoho..."

Accompanied by a cheerful, rhythmic song, the silhouette of a large ship emerged from the sea shrouded in mist.

It was a desolate, ancient ghost ship.

"Yohohoho..."

Looking at the afro-skull on that ship who was holding a violin and singing with rapt devotion, a trace of surprise appeared in Luo En's eyes.

"I didn't expect to actually encounter him—the user of the Revive-Revive Fruit, a future member of the protagonist's crew, the afro-skull Brook."

Luo En closed the Devil Fruit encyclopedia in his hands, stood up, gazed at that ship, and a faint smile spread across his face.

Since he had stumbled upon this by chance, he might as well go over and meet him.

He set down the Devil Fruit encyclopedia in his hands.

That thick sheepskin book sank into the void and vanished without a trace.

Luo En tapped lightly beneath his feet, his form leaping nimbly and swiftly into the air; employing Moon Step, his figure ascended onto that ghost ship with extreme speed.

Hearing the sound of leather boots touching the floor behind him, Brook stopped playing, turned his head, and looked.

A black-haired youth wearing black trousers and a white short-sleeved hooded sweatshirt stood with both hands tucked into his hoodie pockets, smiling gently as he gazed at him.

"Hello."

"Eh?"

Brook froze for a moment.

Then, looking at Luo En, he felt immense surprise and excitement.

"A living person, truly a living person?!"

"Yohohoho, this really gave me a scare!"

Looking at this afro-skull framework before him that was still opening its mouth to speak, Luo En once again marveled in his heart at the power and incredibility of Devil Fruit abilities.

"Yohohoho, handsome young sir, would you care for some tea?"

Brook smiled at Luo En and said.

"No need, I brought some wine; would you like to drink together?"

"By all means!"

On the sea surface wreathed in mist, upon the old deck of this eerie and terrifying ghost ship, a young, delicate-featured black-haired youth and an afro-skull sat facing each other, drinking wine and chatting, occasionally bursting into loud laughter.

No matter how one looked at it, this scene seemed anything but normal.

"Eh? Luo En, did you come specifically to find that Ghost Island?"

Brook's hand, reduced to nothing but white bone, paused with the sake cup.

"Correct."

Luo En picked up the wine bottle and filled his own cup to the brim.

Brook set down the sake cup in his hand, his pitch-black eye sockets staring straight at Luo En: "I advise you not to go; Gecko Moria is extremely strong, you know. I do not wish to see you, so young, throw your life away in vain."

"No need to worry; I am actually quite strong."

Luo En drained the wine in his cup in one gulp and smiled at Brook: "Besides, even if I go, it's not certain that I will come into conflict with that Gecko Moria."

"Is that so... that is good then. Yohohoho, this wine is truly delicious; I haven't tasted such fine wine for several decades."

"Haha, then drink more."

"Yohoho, then I shall not stand on ceremony; don't mind that I don't even have a mouth now, but my tolerance for alcohol is still quite high. Yohoho."

Brook lifted the sake cup and brought it toward his mouth.

By rights, the liquor should have leaked out through the skeletal framework, yet in reality, it did not; even when Luo En activated his Transparent World, he could not find where that liquor was going.

Moreover, he truly could get drunk, despite being merely a skeleton...

One could only say that the abilities of Devil Fruits in this world were truly incredible, distorting common sense.

As Luo En and Brook drank fine wine purchased from Sabaody Archipelago and discussed current affairs outside, when they reached the height of their enjoyment, Brook even picked up the violin beside him and began to play that song, 'Binks' Sake'.

Yohohoho Yohohoho Yohohoho

A song of the harbor

I go to deliver Binks' sake

Letting the sea breeze guide me, letting the waves carry me

Beyond the tide, even the sunset stirs.

In the sky, birds sing, tracing circles.

The song of departure.

Farewell, port town of Tsumugi.

Boom—one loud song for the departing ship!

Golden waves, silver waves turned to spray.

We're setting out, to the very edge of the sea.

……

After finishing the song and draining the wine.

Luo En rose to take his leave.

"You're leaving already…?"

Brook felt reluctant.

Luo En smiled at the reluctant Brook: "In my homeland, there's a saying: no feast lasts forever; and another: life is full of reunions, Brook."

"Soon, I'm sure you'll meet the perfect companions for you—then let's drink together on the open sea!"

……

Watching the departing ship.

On the deck, violin in hand, Brook's eyes flickered with a faint glow, as if emanating from his soul.

"Companions… heeheehee, such a distant and beautiful word, Mr. Luo En. Thank you."

His very soul yearned for that word.

…………

【ps: Starting today, I'll change the posting time to 9 PM nightly, releasing 4–5 chapters at once, 8,000 to 12,000 words each.】

75, Ultimate Kick—Soul Explosion Kick! (2/5 for subscriptions!)

Several days later.

Luo En 'found' the fearsome three-masted schooner nicknamed Ghost Island.

As he neared the massive ship hidden in the mist, those aboard the ship noticed him.

A tiny ghost slipped silently onto the ship, observing Luo En from the shadows.

Luo En, still reclining in his chair and studying the Demon Codex, glanced over and paid no mind.

On the fearsome three-masted schooner.

A girl with pink twin-tails and a crown, holding a wine-red umbrella, stared at the pirate ship approaching the giant vessel, her face filled with confusion.