"What? You said the Big Boss is coming too? Just to watch Luffy set sail?"
"Seriously?"
Uchiha Yakumi wore a black suit and a tie, a short gun clipped to his waist, as he walked across the rather soft ground.
The fresh grass on the ground glittered with a moist sheen, and the gentle breeze blew large and small bubbles, which swayed and floated toward the sky.
This was the dreamlike land closest to the Red Line, the archipelago formed by the root systems of massive mangrove trees: the Sabaody Archipelago.
Yakumi walked alone into Area 33, hearing Ace's voice echo intermittently beside his ear.
"Ace, you're not wearing a Gigai right now; ordinary people can't see you."
"You talking to me just makes it look like I'm talking to myself here. Won't that seem strange?"
In the past few days, the world superstar 'Soul King's' global tour concert was scheduled to be held in the Sabaody Archipelago.
The concert venue was this very Area 33.
Fans and music lovers from all over the world flocked here, practically overcrowding this area and even the surrounding regions.
Yakumi walked down the street here, and even the most ordinary paths were currently teeming with people.
Looking out, the roads were filled entirely with surging heads.
Hustle and bustle, the air filled with a loud cacophony.
In the sight unseen by others, Ace looked apologetic and laughed: "My apologies, my appearance is not suitable to be exposed to the public eye, let alone appear before Luffy and the others."
"So you came all this way just to see your brother?"
Hearing Yakumi's words, Ace nodded and said, "After all, this is Luffy's re-departure. As his older brother, I naturally can't miss it."
As he spoke, Ace showed a hint of surprise: "I just didn't expect the Big Boss to be interested in Luffy too."
"The Big Boss's thoughts are unfathomable, so naturally, we cannot guess them," Yakumi replied.
Yakumi's behavior and conversation with Ace, seen through the eyes of others on the street, naturally became a rather bizarre scene.
"Mom, why is that short uncle talking to himself over there?"
"Don't look, honey. That's not normal."
"Maybe he has mental problems—"
"Should we call a psychiatric hospital?"
People on the street looked at Uchiha Yakumi talking to himself, pointing and discussing amongst themselves.
These voices reached Yakumi's ears, immediately causing the usually aloof Uchiha Shinigami to blush deeply, and he hurriedly moved through the crowd to leave.
"Hahaha, I never thought it would really be like this."
"It's rare to see people from your Uchiha clan show such an expression."
Ace's laughter came from beside his ear, making Yakumi's face grow even redder.
"Ace, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Sorry, sorry, absolutely not."
After leaving the crowd, Yakumi leaped and ran, finally reaching the rooftop of a building.
In front was a circular structure resembling a soap bubble, occupying a considerable area.
"This must be the concert venue for the world superstar 'Soul King', right?"
When Yakumi mentioned the name 'Soul King', a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.
"That's a really arrogant title. Even my Lord wouldn't dare to call himself that."
"He's a living person after all," Ace said. "I saw with my own eyes that the superstar entered here early, and should be conducting concert rehearsal right now."
"That's good. We just need to send this coordinate to the Big Boss."
As Yakumi spoke, his expression suddenly froze, and he abruptly looked behind him.
Crack, crack, crack—
A series of continuous sounds rang out in the otherwise empty area.
The space in front of the two suddenly showed spider-web-like cracks.
Bang!
A fist reached out from within, directly shattering the space riddled with cracks. The entire area of space fell away like broken glass.
Immediately following, two figures walked out from inside.
Seeing these two, Yakumi and Ace were instantly energized and rushed forward.
"Big Boss, you're here."
"My Lord, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."
The people who suddenly broke through space and appeared were naturally Kenma, and Shisui following behind him.
Kenma wore a black suit with a white overcoat draped outside, making him appear even more imposing.
Shisui wore a dark pair of overalls and a deep blue shirt for his upper body.
The two had obviously donned their Gigai and clothes before entering the Pirate World.
"Yakumi, Ace, this is Brook's current location, right?"
Kenma landed on the rooftop, and a wave of noise reached him, causing him to first look at the crowd on the surrounding streets.
Then his gaze fell upon the quite massive circular building in front of him.
Yakumi nodded and said, "That skeleton is inside."
Seeing Kenma, Ace's eyes revealed a trace of apprehension.
Then his expression regained some composure, and he asked, "Big Boss, what exactly do you want with this skeleton?
"He is Luffy's crewmate, so if possible—please don't let anything happen to him."
Seeing Ace's worried look, Kenma chuckled softly in his heart and said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to him."
"I only came here this time to observe his Devil Fruit ability."
Hearing Kenma's assurance, Ace immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It was enough that he wouldn't harm Luffy's crewmate.
On one side was his benefactor, to whom he, his father, and his crew owed a great debt; on the other side was his brother's precious comrade. If the two ever clashed, being caught in the middle would be the most difficult thing for him.
"Let's go. Time to meet this world superstar."
As Kenma finished speaking, he leaped down, and the three others followed closely behind.
Inside this huge circular building, on the topmost stage, teams of dancers in gorgeous costumes were gracefully dancing, and musicians were playing instruments.
And in the very center of the stage, the singer passionately performing in front of the microphone was clearly a skeleton with a black afro.
As the final note faded, the entire piece concluded, and everyone sighed in relief.
"Soul King-sama, thank you for your hard work."
"Ah, this rehearsal was perfect."
"The perfect part was the Soul King's singing that touched the soul."
The skeleton bowed politely: "Since it was so perfect, beautiful dancer-M'ss, may I see your panties?"
The dancer gave a sheepish smile and immediately ran off.
Brook was then invited by his manager to a concert box room.
"Mr. Manager, someone wants to see me at this time?"
The long-armed manager rubbed his hands and smiled flatteringly. "Soul King-sama, the person who came this time is a tremendous big shot."
Hearing this, Brook became even more curious.
When Brook pushed the door open and walked into the VIP box, what met his view were four men in different styles of suits, sitting or standing in various poses.
Although he was a skeleton, he didn't have visible eyes.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]