Underworld Ghost Energy: Freeze
A cloud of white mist escaped Brook's lips as the Seven-Star Sword returned to its sheath in an instant. Kozuki Oden was frozen solid, encased in ice mid-stride, his entire form suspended in time like a perfectly sculpted statue.
"Master Oden!"
The samurai's eyes widened in shock. They rushed toward Oden, shouting his name, their faces burning with anger and vigilance. How dare these foreigners lay a hand on the Shogun's son?!
With a single motion, the samurai drew their swords, prepared to fight to the death. Meanwhile, Hyogoro and his men hesitated, their expressions conflicted. Should they turn their blades against the boss they had just sworn allegiance to?
Their loyalty to the Kozuki Clan, which had safeguarded Wano for centuries, still ran deep. Could they truly stand by while the Shogun's only son was attacked?
---
"Hahahaha! Brook, your Underworld Ghost Energy is getting stronger! Freezing him that fast? You're almost on par with the legendary Ice-Ice Fruit!"
Shiki the Golden Lion laughed, though a flicker of shock crossed his face. He had never seen Brook train extensively, yet his strength was growing at an alarming rate. Surpassing their captain… still a long way off, but damn, he was climbing fast!
"Ohhh~~ That brat's fine. I just cooled him down."
Brook watched the samurai's reaction with mild amusement. The Kozuki Clan's influence in Wano was undeniable. Even Hyogoro, a man who had just pledged loyalty to Brook, was visibly torn.
Brook could see it clearly—Hyogoro's ties to the Kozuki family were stronger than his new allegiance to the Hell Pirates. Overcoming that deep-seated loyalty wouldn't happen overnight.
That only made Brook more determined to use Platinum to dominate Wano's financial system. He would turn Kuri into the strongest city in Wano, surpassing even the Flower Capital and its corrupt Shimotsuki Clan!
---
Crack!
Kozuki Oden's upper body broke free from the ice. He shook violently, rubbing his arms to generate warmth, his breath turning into white mist.
"C-COLD! What the hell was that?!"
His exaggerated shouts made the gathered samurai breathe a collective sigh of relief. Yet, they suddenly found themselves in an awkward predicament—swords drawn, expressions fierce, and… still aboard someone else's ship.
A standoff on enemy territory wasn't exactly the smartest move.
Hyogoro, for one, was relieved he hadn't drawn his sword in haste. At least now, there was still room for negotiation.
"Master Brook," one of the samurai finally spoke, lowering his sword. "We acted out of loyalty and concern for our lord. Please forgive our offense. We sincerely apologize."
In perfect synchronization, the warriors bowed deeply at a full 90-degree angle, their heads almost touching the ground—a display of absolute sincerity.
Brook chuckled. "Yohoho~ No need for that. I was being reckless, too."
He accepted their apology with ease. If these samurai remained this loyal even after Kuri was conquered, Brook wouldn't mind recruiting a few of them as samurai ghosts in his fleet.
"Lord Brook, your virtue and strength are truly admirable! Serving under you is an honor!"
The warriors' respect for Brook only grew. In Wano, drawing one's sword meant blood had to be spilled to maintain honor. But Brook had let them off with nothing more than a laugh, proving himself to be a leader both powerful and magnanimous.
Redfield, Linlin, and the others exchanged indifferent glances. It was clear to them—these samurai had little hope of becoming true crew members of the Hell Pirates.
"Hey! Let me go! Why are my feet still frozen?!"
Oden's frustrated voice cut through the air, pulling everyone's attention back. He truly was a reckless fool—completely oblivious to the fact that just moments ago, these samurai had nearly clashed with their employer over his frozen body.
Brook smirked. "You're too noisy. Our ship doesn't allow brats like you to run around."
He observed Oden carefully. This reckless young man had the potential for Conqueror's Haki, though it hadn't awakened yet. Should he take him in as a younger brother?
The problem was, Oden was destined to inherit Wano. That directly clashed with Brook's vision of ruling the country himself. Unless… Oden willingly handed over Wano to the Hell Pirates in pursuit of a greater cause.
Perhaps Brook could convince him that under his rule, Wano would thrive like never before.
"I'm no brat! Don't underestimate me!! I'm the terror of the Flower Capital! I kicked down the Nanshan Bathhouse and punched out the North Street Casino! There ain't a gangster in the city who doesn't steer clear when they see me!"
Oden's exaggerated boasts made the gathered criminals and outlaws glare at him. So, this was the reckless Shogun's son they had always feared? Now they regretted ever worrying about him!
Brook ignored Oden's nonsense and instead asked, "Why did you board my Golden ship? Does your father, Shogun Sukiyaki, know you ran away? Give me a good reason, or I'll toss you overboard."
Brook knew Oden's personality. The more you told him to leave, the more stubborn he'd become. That was exactly what Brook wanted—to tie Oden to the Hell Pirates.
Once Shogun Sukiyaki demanded Brook and his crew leave Wano, he'd have to consider his rebellious son's presence among them. By then, the Hell Pirates would be even stronger, powerful enough to intimidate Wano's leadership into submission.
And if persuasion failed? Well, the four emperor-level Devil Fruit users on his crew were enough to force a compromise.
Oden grinned. "I wanna go to sea! But right now, I wanna go to Kuri with you and take down the villains! Sounds fun, doesn't it?! Don't worry about my old man—he can't control me!"
The excitement in his voice was palpable. Suppressing Kuri? Sailing the seas? It was everything he dreamed of!
Brook crossed his arms. "And why should I let you stay? You're not strong enough to be a mercenary. If your father blames us, he might even drive us out of Wano."
He was toying with Oden now, knowing full well that the more resistance he put up, the more determined Oden would be to prove himself.
Oden's answer came without hesitation.
"So what?! Then let me join you!"
The gathered samurai froze in shock.
Join a foreign pirate crew?! The heir to the Kozuki Clan betraying Wano?! Had he lost his mind?!
"Master Oden, you absolutely cannot! Wano still needs you to inherit the title! The Kozuki family still needs you!" the samurai pleaded in desperation.
But Oden silenced them with a loud rebuke. "Shut up! Why do you care what I do?!"
He turned back to Brook, his eyes burning with anticipation, waiting for his response.
-----------
Seeing Kozuki Oden take the bait, Brook smirked and said, "If I don't put you in your place, I won't be called Brook."
"There are two choices. One, become my adopted son or godson. Two, become my disciple. Pick one, and you can stay aboard this golden ship and be part of us.
"Otherwise, I'm sorry, but I'll have no choice but to toss you back and let Shogun Sukiyaki take you back to prison to pick up soap!"
Brook wanted to laugh. He wasn't even going to make Oden a trainee crew member. From now on, he'd have to call Fisher Tiger—who was born the same year as him—his elder!
"No, Master Oden!!"
The samurai watching were already numb with shock. This outsider really had the nerve to say something like that? "Adopted son?!" Was he trying to be the cheap father of their future shogun?
Still, given Brook's strength as a great swordsman, taking Oden as a disciple wasn't completely out of the question. That much, they could at least accept.
"What a pain! If you can defeat me within ten moves, I'll be your disciple!"
Kozuki Oden arrogantly laid down his condition, making the surrounding samurai widen their eyes. Had their young master lost his mind?
He was already captured and frozen, and now he was asking to be beaten? Wasn't this just a cheap excuse to stay on the ship and join them?
"Then does this count as your first move?"
Brook pointed at Oden's frozen lower half. No matter how talented the kid was, he was still just eight years old—nowhere near strong enough to break free on his own.
"No, no, it has to be a fair fight! Let me see your strength first. I need to know if you're qualified to teach me!"
Even while stuck in ice, Oden remained stubborn. After all, he'd never actually seen these outsiders fight since he was captured mid-challenge.
"Qualified? Then I should see if you're qualified to be my disciple. Break free first and prove your strength to me!"
This was Brook's ship, the Erebus, and in his domain, he made the rules—not some bratty samurai prince.
"Great! Lord Brook is definitely making things difficult so Master Oden will give up. Lord Brook is truly wise!"
The whispering samurai were a little pleased. Maybe Oden would finally give up and go back to the Flower Capital's Shogun's Mansion.
"Huh? You're the first man to challenge me like this! I've fought across the streets of the Flower Capital! Don't underestimate me!"
Oden gritted his teeth and strained his body, his waist twisting unnaturally as his face turned red. The samurai watching grew nervous.
Was he about to cripple himself?
Oden smashed at the ice trapping him, trying to get his swords free. With sheer willpower, he snapped them loose from the frozen grip and swung them at the thickest part of the ice around his legs.
Ice chips flew everywhere, some even laced with blood. The warriors looked on with worry.
"Hahahaha! Brook, this kid's got guts. If you don't stop him, he's gonna chop his own legs off!"
Even Shiki the Golden Lion found himself admiring Oden's stubbornness. He had to admit, at Oden's age, he wasn't this strong either.
"Alright, you pass."
Brook casually swung his sword, sending a small, controlled shockwave that shattered all the ice binding Oden.
"Incredible! You've mastered sword energy so perfectly. I admit it—you're worthy of being my master!"
Oden eagerly sheathed his swords, not even paying attention to the small wound he'd inflicted on his own foot.
"Make your choice."
Brook's afterimage blurred. In an instant, he reappeared beside Oden, his eerie, cold Seven-Star Sword resting on the young samurai's shoulder. The chilling aura of death made everyone hold their breath.
Even Oden swallowed nervously. He could finally feel the overwhelming strength of this man. Brook needed to assert dominance to bring the Shogun's son to heel.
"So fast!!"
Oden had never been unable to follow someone's movements before. This was a first.
"Master, I want to learn this! From today onward, I am a part of this ship! Please take me to see the world's strongest!"
Without hesitation, Oden knelt and bowed, officially acknowledging Brook as his master. Not only did he want to learn swordsmanship, but he also craved the freedom this golden ship represented.
"Very good. From now on, you are my first disciple. The Hell Pirates welcome you!!!"
Brook grinned. He had finally roped in the son of Wano's Shogun—an incredible talent with the potential to be one of the future Emperors.
Kozuki Oden was the same age as Kaido. At thirty-nine, he would fight Kaido alone and use his "Ten Fists of Peach Blossom" to wound the Beast King so severely that Kaido carried the scar for life. If not for Kaido's underlings holding a fake Momonosuke hostage, distracting Oden, he never would have fallen to Kaido's underhanded strike from behind.
"Master, this is amazing!"
Oden beamed with joy, jumping around excitedly. At last, he had broken free from Sukiyaki's grip and boarded the golden ship that would take him out into the world.
Crocus, the ship's doctor, stepped forward and unceremoniously slathered ointment onto Oden's injured foot. The pressure made Oden yelp.
"This doctor is too rough!!"
But when he saw Crocus's cold, deadpan stare, he swallowed his complaints. This was nothing in exchange for freedom.
"Hahaha! Since this kid is Captain Brook's apprentice, does that mean he has to call me Uncle Tiger now?"
The eight-year-old Fisher Tiger—already over two meters tall—stepped forward, laughing. At last, there was someone younger than him aboard.
"Whoa! What kind of race are you? You look like a legendary sea monster! Are there a lot of people like you in the outside world?"
Oden looked up at the red-skinned fishman in awe, completely unaware that Tiger was only a few months older than him. If he knew, he probably wouldn't have been so curious and would've argued instead!
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