Pirate: I, Ace, am the King of Eclipse!

"Yohohoho, for my soul has long been tempered to indestructibility in the underworld." Brook gripped his sword, the flames in his eyes reflecting on Saka. "Since your mind has been devoured by this sword, let me use the cold of the underworld to release you!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!

With a series of wrist flicks, the sword's edge left countless eerie blue afterimages. Brook abandoned his defense and faced Saka's green demonic fire head-on.

Saka pressed forward relentlessly, the resentment within the Seven Star Sword surging forth with each swing. Those green flames were no ordinary flames; they could cut through steel and directly attack the soul. When Brook countered, he channeled the chilling aura of the underworld into each incoming demonic flame, freezing the resentment within them at its very core.

Their swords clashed repeatedly. Shattered planks were swept up by the aftershocks; some turned to ash in the green flames, others were encased in a layer of eerie blue ice and crashed back to the ground. Saka relied on the demonic sword to launch a powerful attack, but Brook remained unaffected by the curse; the Seven Star Sword's most dangerous ability was rendered useless against him.

Maya stared at Saka, who was completely dominated by the demonic sword, her hands clenched tightly together. The person before her was still the one she knew, but his gaze and words were now filled with nothing but the desire to kill the sacrifice and break the seal.

Brook was no longer his usual jovial self. Fifty years of solitary, deathly silence on the ghost ship had honed his soul to withstand the blood and resentment accumulated within the sword. The Seven Star Sword sought to corrupt him, but instead faced a soul that had returned from the underworld.

Two lights, a deep blue and a dark green, flickered back and forth within the dojo, while chilling air and demonic fire spread outwards with each collision. This was not a battle decided by sheer power, but a direct struggle for the soul between the power of the Underworld and the century-old curse.

Saka's demonic sword still hummed, and the flames of the underworld in Brook's eyes had not yet died down. Neither side yielded, and the next round of strikes followed immediately. No one else in the dojo could intervene; all eyes were fixed on the two sword lights, one green and one blue.

Ice and fire, the freezing air of the underworld and the demonic fire of the Seven Star Sword clashed repeatedly in the dojo. A battle that transcended the system of domineering auras and directly affected the soul erupted.

Chapter 142 Suppressing Resentment in the Underworld

"Seven Stars - Wildfire!" Saka gave Brook no chance to pause. The Seven Star Sword once again ignited the wildfire and slashed forward relentlessly, leaving no opening whatsoever.

Saka's eyes were bloodshot as he swung the Seven Star Sword repeatedly. Sword energy, burning with green flames, crisscrossed and formed a giant net, slicing through the wooden pillars and ceiling of the dojo. The demonic fire that fell to the ground did not disappear; instead, it clung to the rocks and continued to burn.

Brook weaved through the dense barrage of slashes, his skeleton leaving a trail of eerie blue afterimages in mid-air.

clang!clang!clang!

The Soul-Destroying Sword clashed with the Seven Star Sword time and again. The blade, forged from meteorite black steel and wreathed in the freezing air of the underworld, precisely neutralized the green demonic flames that attempted to invade Brook's body with each clash.

"Stop running around like a monkey! Burn me to ashes!"

The demonic sword had completely warped Saka's mind. He no longer cared about defense, leaping into the air, raising his sword with both hands, and slashing a green fireball several times larger than before down at Brook's head.

Brook stood still. The ghostly fire in his eyes suddenly flared, and he raised his rapier horizontally, the tip aimed at the falling Saka.

“Your mind has been controlled by a sword, and you’ve even lost the most basic rationality of a swordsman. Right now, the sword you swing has no soul at all.” Brook said, facing the oncoming green light. “This kind of weak attack can’t even cut through my clothes.”

"The Underworld: Requiem for the Soul - The Return of the Swallow!"

Swish!

Brook transformed into a straight, dark blue ray of light, advancing instead of retreating, and pierced through the enormous green fireball.

There was no roar, only a slight "click" sound in the air.

Saka froze, his longsword raised high. The demonic fire split open in the middle, a sharp, piercing chill spreading rapidly along the cut, sealing the entire flame and his arm into thick, dark blue ice.

boom.

Saka collapsed onto the tatami mat, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness. The Seven Star Sword slipped from his hand and fell with a clatter several meters away.

"Saka!"

Maya cried out and rushed to Saka's side, checking his breath to make sure he was still alive before finally letting out a sigh of relief. The Eclipse Pirates simply watched, offering no assistance. For pirates, there was no custom of healing the wounded after battle.

Brook sheathed his sword and walked toward the Seven Star Sword that had fallen to the ground.

After losing the nourishment of its host's blood, the green light on the sword flickered. It seemed to sense the threat, emitting a low, ghostly wail, and black resentment even condensed into mist around the hilt, warning anyone who approached it.

Sabo stepped forward, gripping the alloy staff: "Be careful, Brook. The resentment within the sword hasn't dissipated yet; an ordinary person who touches it will likely be possessed immediately."

"Yo ho ho ho, that suits me just fine."

Brooke stretched out his pale, bony hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword. As he gripped the Seven Star Sword, he turned to look at Maya, who was still in shock.

"Little girl, may you throw the cloth bag containing the three precious jades into the air?"

Maya clutched the cloth bag tightly to her chest: "What...what do you want to do?"

"The resentment of this sword has been suppressed by the three precious stones for a hundred years, and its power has not yet been fully restored. Since I intend to use it as my personal sword, a broken demonic weapon that has not been fully awakened is not worthy of the title 'King of Souls'." The flames of the underworld in Brook's eyes flickered.

Ace crossed his arms and looked at Maya: "Throw it up."

Faced with the pressure from Ace, Maya's hands trembled, but she still threw the cloth bag containing the three precious gems into the air above the dojo.

"No!"

She closed her eyes.

Swish!

Brook swung his sword with one hand, and a streak of dark green sword shadow swept through the air.

Click!

The three sacred gems used to suppress the curse shattered simultaneously, turning into powder and scattering.

The moment the precious jade shattered, the dojo seemed to plunge into an abyss. The resentment and bloodshed memories accumulated by the Seven Star Sword for a hundred years were released from their restraints and erupted like a flood breaking through a dam.

Ten times more intense green flames erupted from the sword when Bisaka used it, even smashing through the dojo's roof. The flames climbed up Brook's arm, instantly engulfing his body and transforming him into a giant green fireball.

"Roar--!"

The howls of countless undead emanated from the fire. Centuries of pent-up resentment surged into Brook's brain, attempting to devour his sanity.

“Brook!” Bucky cried out in alarm.

Ace stood still, staring at the ball of green flame. His Observation Haki told him that Brook's life force wasn't weakening; on the contrary, it was expanding.

"It's just a demonic sword that's absorbed some of the resentment of the dead, yet it dares to take the lead?" Brook's voice came from the fire. "I am... the King of Souls!"

hum!

A ghostly blue light burst forth from the center of the green flames. The light was not dazzling, but it carried the oppressive force of the underworld, like a gaping maw of an abyss, constantly tearing and devouring the rebellious green resentment.

"squeak--!"

The vengeful spirit within the sword let out a mournful wail, as if it had encountered its natural enemy.

The green demonic flames enveloping Brook were forcibly pulled back onto the sword. The Seven Star Sword trembled continuously, its eerie patterns flickering, but eventually calmed down under the suppression of the soul.

As the light faded, Brook stood unharmed. The fully unsealed Seven Star Sword remained sharp, but the original bloody smell had disappeared, and the surface of the sword shimmered with a blend of dark blue and dark green.

Brook casually swung his sword.

Swish!

A cross-shaped sword aura, blending the freezing air of the underworld and the demonic flames of resentment, flew out and sliced ​​through the only remaining wall of the dojo. One half of the cut was covered with solid ice, while the other half was burned to ashes by the demonic flames.

"Ice and fire are fused into the same strike, it's truly a delightful surprise." Brooke examined the Seven Star Sword. "Mr. Geno, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to forge a new scabbard for me."

From the moment Saka fell to the moment the three jewels shattered, the power of the Seven Star Sword was fully unleashed. Having lost its seal, its resentment was ten times stronger than before, and for the first time, it struck the soul of the swordsman in its complete form.

But this impact did not rob Brook of his reason. The azure power of the underworld expanded outward from within the green flames, forcing the surging vengeful spirits back into the sword. The more the Seven Star Sword resisted, the clearer the suppression of the underworld became, until all the green demonic flames were locked back into the sword where blood-red memories and resentment converged.

Brook did not obtain an ordinary longsword whose power had been depleted. The precious jade was shattered, the seal was gone, and the demonic fire and resentment that had accumulated within the sword for a hundred years remained, but they could no longer devour his mind.

The cross slash just now proved this point. The freezing air of the underworld and the demonic fire of resentment can be released from the sword's edge at the same time, freezing one and burning the other. The two soul forces that were originally opposed to each other are now both under Brook's control.

Maya stayed by Saka's side, who was still unconscious, watching the demonic sword that had fallen silent. The wailing that had filled the dojo had disappeared, and the remaining green flames on the ground were no longer summoned by the sword. Ace and the others witnessed the whole process: Brook first defeated the controlled Saka with his Yellow Spring Frost, and then deliberately shattered the three gems to bear the backlash from the Seven Star Sword's full awakening.

If it were merely resealed, the Seven Star Sword could still find another host in the future. Brook, however, chose a different path. He allowed the curse to fully erupt, then suppressed it head-on with his own soul, definitively determining who the true master of this power was. This also altered the original relationship between the demonic sword and its wielder.

He did not erase the resentment of the demonic sword, but instead subdued it with his status as the King of Souls. From then on, the Seven Star Sword was no longer a curse that manipulated people's hearts, but the exclusive weapon of the Yellow Springs Swordsman.

Chapter 143 Moria's Resolve, Shadow Cheat Device

The first half of the Grand Line, the Devil's Triangle. As usual, thick fog shrouded the surrounding sea, lingering for a long time.

A thick fog that never dissipates shrouds the sea, preventing sunlight from reaching this area. Deep within the fog, a terrifying three-masted sailing ship, as massive as an island, floats, like a lurking, ghostly beast.

Today, the ship was far from as deathly silent as usual.

"Ha...hoo...ha...hoo..."

The wheezing, like the straining of bellows, echoed across the ruined plaza of the ship's atrium.

"Hehehe, faster! Harder! You damn fat!"

Former Shichibukai Gecko Moria stood shirtless, his hands gripping the jet-black sword Shusui. His signature spiky spiky hair and massive frame remained prominent, but the fat that had accumulated in his abdomen over the years had shrunk considerably.

Two months ago, he was defeated by Ace, and all the thousands of shadows within him scattered. There were no more zombies on Thriller Bark capable of standing up and serving as sparring partners.

Without a sparring partner, he trained alone, and even used his Devil Fruit ability, which was almost like cheating.

"Screenshot Box - Forced Traction!"

Moria's eyes were bloodshot, and the shadow beneath his feet twisted and contorted like a living thing, defying the laws of light. The shadow's hands assumed the standard sword-wielding stance of a great swordsman, slashing forward across the ground.

Forced by the shadow, Moria's obese body, gripping Qiu Shui, mirrored the movement. The sword strike was completely disproportionate to his size, yet precise and swift.

Swish!

A jet-black sword aura swept out from the Autumn Water Blade, cleaving an abandoned clock tower in two.

The synchronization of shadow and body is one of the most terrifying characteristics of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Moria's swordsmanship and muscle memory, which had been neglected for over a decade, are being forcibly awakened by his own shadow. The shadow repeatedly pulls the body to slash, forcing the muscles to complete the movements like puppet strings, and the muscle fibers are constantly torn and reorganized in this brutal training.

"Ha ha……"

Having delivered the blow, Moria awkwardly supported himself with his Autumn Water. Beads of sweat rolled down his pale face, pelting the stone slabs like raindrops.

"Slap, slap, slap."

Applause came from the high wall. Perona, holding a burgundy parasol and wearing a Gothic princess dress, sat on the edge of the wall, her long legs swinging idly.

"Lord Moria, the way you swung your sword just now was barely somewhat cool. But the way you're panting, you sound like a seahorse about to die, ho ho ho ho."

"Shut up, Perona!" Moria roared in exasperation. "I'm on a great rehabilitation program! Once I lose this fat, regain my Haki, and get that enhancement potion that bastard Ace promised, I'll be able to return to the New World!"

"Yes, yes, Lord Moria is the greatest."

Perona rolled her eyes, floated down from the wall, and handed him a large towel.

“But haven’t you been too impatient lately? Dr. Hogback said that you not only forcibly change the shape of your muscles and squeeze fat with your shadows, but you also cut out the shadows of swordsmen and martial arts masters who have accidentally wandered into this sea and stuff them into your body.” Perona looked at Moria. “Absorbing other people’s shadows can indeed give you immediate access to their combat experience, but that is ultimately not your power. If you can’t digest it in time, your mind won’t be able to handle it.”

"Tch, that guy's medical skills are only good enough to sew up a corpse that can't speak."

Moria wiped the sweat from his face and tossed the towel aside.

He knew Perona was right. Forcibly absorbing the shadows of others, seizing experience and muscle memory, would put immense pressure on his mind. But as long as he could regain that body that was once capable of fighting, he didn't care even if it meant mental breakdown.

Moria looked up at the perpetual fog, and madness rekindled in his narrow eyes, which had been dormant for over a decade.