"Do not cross this line!"
"Otherwise... I shall be your opponent!"
Brook's sudden action left the Straw Hat crew stunned.
They stared at him in bewilderment, their anger momentarily eclipsed by confusion.
"Brook, why?"
"He hurt Momo!"
"How can you turn against your own crew when one of us has been hurt? What are you thinking?"
Facing the barrage of accusations from his friends, Brook's sword hand trembled slightly.
Though he was a mere skeleton, the grief and determination radiating from his ghoulish form were palpable.
"Even if you hate me for this, even if you cast me out, I will not allow you to make a move!"
"I'm begging you... please, don't do it."
Jinbe watched Brook with a heavy heart.
Though he hadn't been on the ship long, he could feel Brook's sincerity and how much he cherished his comrades.
For him to act this way, there had to be a profound reason.
"Brook, what is really going on here?"
"Everyone is here now. Is there something so dire you can't tell us?"
"Aren't we crewmates?"
Jinbe's words resonated with the rest of the crew.
They began shouting their questions all at once, but Brook's expression only grew more resolute.
"I've told you, I cannot say! Why won't you understand?"
"It is because we are crewmates that I can't tell you."
"This is not an opponent on the level of a mere Emperor or a Navy Admiral."
Ren looked at Brook, who was shielding him from the Straw Hats, and then at the frustrated crew who were itching to strike but held back. He let out a soft chuckle.
"It's fine to tell them, Brook."
"I never actually forbade you from revealing my identity."
Hearing this, Brook whipped his head around and asked nervously, "R-Really?"
Ren nodded slightly. "Of course."
A wave of relief washed over Brook, and his grip on his cane sword relaxed significantly.
Just as he was about to turn and explain everything to his friends...
The next words he heard froze him in his tracks.
"However, once you say it, I will have to take away everyone who knows who I am."
"Eek! No! No!"
Brook waved his hands frantically, his face a mask of pure terror.
"I won't say it! I wouldn't tell a soul even if it killed me!"
Seeing Brook's extreme reaction, Ren smirked inwardly.
Having a little fun while idle certainly brightened his mood.
The Straw Hats, witnessing this, felt their rage flare up even hotter.
"Hey, you thick-browed bastard! What did you do to Brook?"
"He must be using some kind of trickery to threaten Brook. Damn it!"
"Does it bring you that much joy to turn comrades against each other? You villain."
Whish!
The sound of rushing wind was followed by rapid footsteps.
"How dare you harm my son and toy with Luffy's friends! Unforgivable!"
Yamato's figure blurred past the crew, swinging a club that had been stripped of its spikes.
Her steps were heavy yet swift as she charged toward the duo with overwhelming momentum.
"I don't care who you are! I just have to take you down!"
"Stop!"
Brook snapped back to reality and drew his sword to intervene.
But his slender frame was no match for Yamato's raw power.
With a casual swing of her club, she sent Brook and his sword flying.
Even the soul-chilling ice Brook produced couldn't slow her down for a second.
The Straw Hats gasped, their faces etched with worry.
"Brook!"
"He should be fine."
"Yamato knows how to hold back. She won't actually hurt him."
Crash!
Under Yamato's monstrous strength, the low ice wall crumbled like wet paper.
With a single strike, the ice shattered into fragments, and she easily crossed the line Brook had drawn.
Seeing Yamato close the distance in the blink of an eye, Ren didn't even flinch, acting as if the enemy before him didn't exist.
Beside him, Shisui's brow furrowed slightly. He instantly released his Reiatsu, focusing it precisely on Yamato.
Boom!
Yamato's body was slammed into the ground, her surprise attack cut short instantly.
Under the crushing weight, she felt as though her very soul was being ground into dust.
Straining against the pressure, she forced her head up, glaring at the two men standing just a few paces away with stubborn defiance.
"Damn it... I was so close—"
Seeing Yamato in such a state, the Straw Hats immediately remembered Kin'emon and the others back in the Flower Capital.
They had been the same—pinned to the ground for no apparent reason, unable to move.
"Is this their ability?"
"It's a power similar to Admiral Fujitora's."
"Let Yamato go!"
Shisui's crimson eyes swept over the pinned Yamato before settling on the Straw Hat crew.
His Mangekyou Sharingan flickered with an eerie red light, emitting an ominous and freezing aura.
"My lord appreciates you and has humored you time and again, but I will not!"
"Know your place, humans!"
"If you commit another act of insolence, you will not be permitted to live."
Seeing that the crowd was sufficiently intimidated, Shisui slowly withdrew his Reiatsu.
Yamato gasped for breath, finally feeling the burden lift.
Brook, who had just been knocked away, scrambled back and threw himself in front of the group once more.
He turned to Ren, his voice thick with desperation.
"You said you liked Luffy, didn't you? These are the friends he prizes above his own life. Please, do not harm them."
"I'm begging you. If you do, Luffy will never forgive you."
Shisui's expression turned cold. "Is that a threat?"
"No, no! Not at all!" Brook waved his hands frantically.
Ren raised a hand, stilling Shisui's killing intent.
He looked over the wary Straw Hat crew and sighed softly.
"My apologies. It seems I went a bit too far and made you all quite nervous."
"But my fondness and appreciation for you all is sincere. I have no intention of hurting you."
Hearing this, Brook's heart relaxed, only to immediately tense up again. 'Being loved by a God of Death... that's hardly a blessing.'
Ren turned his head and looked to the side.
"Luffy is over that way. I'm going to go check on him."
As the words left his lips, Ren vanished in a blur.
Shisui followed immediately, disappearing after him.
The Straw Hats were horrified to hear this and scrambled toward Luffy's location as fast as they could.
Using Shunpo, Ren arrived at his destination to find Ace sitting beside a slumbering Luffy.
"Ace, you didn't head back with Newgate and the others?"
"I wanted to stay and check on Luffy."
Seeing it was Ren, Ace stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Big Boss, is your business finished?"
"Yeah. Same as you, I just wanted to see how Luffy was doing."
Ren walked over to the side of the sleeping boy and crouched down. Looking at the bubble inflating and deflating at Luffy's nose, he couldn't help himself.
He reached out, pinched Luffy's cheek, and gave it a tug.
As he pulled, Luffy's skin stretched out incredibly far.
Ace grinned at the sight. "Luffy's fruit power is pretty interesting, isn't it?"
Ren nodded, the tension finally leaving his brow.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]