One Piece: Hell Pirate

The Underworld. Hell. The road to the afterlife.

Buluko opened his eyes, dazed. There was no light—only an endless expanse of gray. His head felt dizzy and light, an unsettling discomfort settling over him.

Why is it so dark? Did I forget to turn on the lights? Where are the neon signs of the city? Or did the power go out?

He prayed there wasn't a blackout. After years of wandering, the only company he had in his rented apartment was a delicate tank of goldfish. If the power failed, stopping the water flow and oxygen supply, some of them would surely die overnight. Those fragile creatures were his only comfort in loneliness. He had fed them himself, grain by grain.

Buluko blinked, then shook his head. A strange stillness surrounded him. And then, it hit him—he couldn't feel his hands or feet.

Silence loomed over him, an eerie quiet that sent chills down his soul. A pale bone-littered road stretched into the distance, leading toward a murky yellow river. The dim, endless abyss made his very spirit tremble.

Where am I?

A wave of confusion struck him. Is this a dream?

Am I dead? Is this... the road to Hell?

Then, without warning, a flood of memories surged into his mind, fusing forcefully with his soul.

Brook. He was Brook now.

Brook, the musician of the Rumbar Pirates—a crew that had sailed from the West Blue into the Grand Line. A man with a bounty of 33 million berries. Once the captain of the guard in the Kingdom of Dumoria.

In the year 1470 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the Rumbar Pirates parted ways with Laboon, the island whale, at Twin Cape. Soon after, their captain, Yorki, fell ill with a deadly plague and left the crew. Brook took over as acting captain, but months later, they were ambushed in the Florian Triangle by enemies wielding poison gas. The entire crew was wiped out.

Buluko's soul trembled. I actually got isekai'd into One Piece? And I'm Brook? The pervy skeleton who loves panties?!

This was ridiculous! If he had to be reincarnated into an undead, couldn't he at least be someone cool, like the Overlord Ainz Ooal Gown? Even Zhang Chulan from The Outcast would've been better! But no—fate had stuck him in Brook's bony body instead!

In his past life, Buluko had been a lonely video editor. He specialized in dark, underground topics—black market kidnappings, crime injustice, human trafficking in Southeast Asia, fraud rings in Myanmar... It had left him jaded, angry at reality, and even more distant from women. But what man didn't dream of wealth and companionship?

As Brook's memories settled in, Buluko grasped his situation. He had just died and entered the Underworld. Yet, thanks to the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit), his soul had retained its consciousness. Instead of being erased or dragged into Hell, Brook's original soul had been swallowed up by his own. He was a cuckoo taking over another's nest—completely fused with Brook.

In the original story, Brook's soul had wandered the Underworld for years before he found a way back. By the time he returned, his body had already decayed into bones. But Buluko knew better. Corpses didn't become skeletons in a single year—under dry conditions, that could take up to a decade.

Given that Brook had wandered the Florian's Triangle for over 30 years before meeting Gecko Moria, Buluko speculated that Brook's soul had been lost in the Underworld for at least ten years before returning to his body. The energy of the afterlife had preserved him.

Now that he had fused with Brook's soul, he had one goal—escape the Underworld before time ran out. If he didn't make it back fast enough, his body would rot, and he'd be stuck as either a zombie or a skeleton forever.

Summoning all his will, Buluko flailed his soul-body, stirring up the Meikai no Ki (Netherworld Energy) and Yomi no Rei (Underworld Ghost Aura) around him. These eerie forces began merging into his soul. The Yomi Yomi no Mi protected him from their corrosive pull and allowed him to absorb them instead.

All around, countless wandering souls were being erased one by one, their consciousness fading as they drifted toward Hell's depths. The sight sent shivers through Buluko's spirit.

Desperately, he propelled himself forward, tailing like a tadpole toward the entrance of the Underworld. The Revive-Revive Fruit aided his escape, but it was an agonizingly slow process. It took hours just to move a short distance.

Luckily, since he had two souls merged into one, his spiritual energy wasn't depleting too quickly.

Brook's original abilities let him release chilling Hyouketsu Rei (Frozen Ghost Energy) to freeze enemies. Buluko seized this knowledge, greedily absorbing the Yomi no Rei around him. The more he strengthened his soul, the more powerful he'd be when he returned to his body.

And he needed to be stronger.

As he absorbed more of the Underworld's energy, he finally spotted the exit—the portal back to the living world! But then, something stirred in the depths of Hell. A great terror was awakening, and the pull toward the abyss intensified. It felt as if some eldritch horror wanted to drag him into eternal damnation.

Panicked, Buluko stopped absorbing energy. He forced his way toward the exit with everything he had.

Without the Revive-Revive Fruit's power, no soul could resist being erased or pulled into Hell. He had no intention of finding out what lay in its depths.

As his spirit lightened, he finally broke free from the Underworld!

There was no lost time. No confusion. No wandering in the Florian's Triangle fog. And the Rumbar Pirates' ship was still there.

Ecstatic, Buluko shot toward the vessel, searching for Brook's body. It had only been one day—his body was still intact!

Without hesitation, he dove back into his corpse. The Hyouketsu Rei surged into his blood, turning it a dark blue as it began to flow once more. The poison spots faded from his skin. A chilling aura spread across the ship.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

With a sharp gasp, Buluko—no, Brook—had returned!

Frost spread across the deck as Brook exhaled, white mist forming in the air. He cracked his stiff joints, feeling like an undead king. The chilling aura of the Meikai no Ki still clung to his body, but by concentrating, he managed to restore some warmth to his flesh.

And then...

The first thing Buluko did was unzip his pants.

To his immense relief, his "little ancestor" was still there and functioning.

For the first time in this cold, dead world, he felt alive.

But as he looked around, the sight of his fallen comrades sent a deep sadness through him. The deck was littered with corpses. Even as a modern man, the scene was gut-wrenching.

Swallowing his sorrow, he stood tall.

"My brothers of the sea... you were all Brook's nakama in life. Rest peacefully in the arms of the ocean. I swear—I will avenge you!"

With that vow, Brook carried each body to the cabin, giving them their final resting place.

Buluko stood in silence before the cabin, bowing his head in a solemn salute. This was his final farewell to the fallen Rumbar Pirates, paying respect on Brook's behalf.

He scavenged the remaining supplies—what little food and fresh water were left—as well as any valuables and treasures. Most importantly, he took his cane sword. While it didn't match his personal taste, after absorbing Brook's memories, it became his strongest weapon for now.

Testing the blade, he performed a few swift thrusts before stabbing the railing. A chilling frost spread from the point of impact. The rapier's design favored piercing, but Buluko preferred a weapon suited for slashing. He made a mental note to replace it when the opportunity arose.

Continuing to experiment, he practiced the sword techniques ingrained in Brook's mind, ensuring he could execute them flawlessly in battle. It was surreal—he had gone from an ordinary world to this high-level world of martial prowess and Devil Fruit abilities. The sword energy and eerie ghostly aura he now wielded were so fascinating that he couldn't stop practicing until exhaustion set in.

Once he had fully reacquainted himself with Brook's techniques, he began merging them with the spectral energy of the underworld. He launched various attacks, testing his endurance and attempting to gauge whether he had inherited Brook's immortality.

To confirm, he sliced his own arm. The wound was instantly enveloped in ghostly energy, restoring itself moments later. The effect was astonishing—but it drained a considerable amount of energy, leaving him fatigued. To recover, he had to replenish his physical strength.

"This is eerily similar to Marco's Phoenix Flames," he muttered, marveling at the ability. "This might just be my greatest lifeline."

The real question was whether he could survive decapitation like Brook. He considered testing it but quickly shook off the thought. That was a gamble he wasn't willing to take.

Alone on the vast pirate ship of the Rumbar Pirates, Buluko knew he couldn't operate such a massive vessel by himself. He had no choice but to lower a lifeboat—a standard landing craft—into the water.

Without hesitation, he set sail. Unlike Brook in the original timeline, who had remained in the Florian's Triangle out of grief and attachment to his fallen crew, Buluko had no such ties. From this moment on, the world would know only Brook. Buluko would remain buried deep within his heart.

---

Brook examined the log pose on his wrist and rowed in the direction it pointed. A thorough search of the ship had yielded no eternal pose, proof of how unprepared the Rumbar Pirates had been. It was no surprise they hadn't made it to the New World.

This was an ordinary log pose, featuring a single pointer that locked onto the next island after recording its magnetic field. By contrast, log poses in the New World had three needles, each pointing to different islands. The one that remained the most stable indicated the safest route, while the others fluctuated wildly based on the magnetic chaos of the New World.

Though Brook didn't require food to survive, without sustenance, he could only remain in standby mode—barely able to move, let alone grow stronger. High-quality food was essential for training and improving his skills. This explained why Brook had stagnated for over thirty years in the Florian's Triangle.

By his calculations, the current year was 1470 of the Sea Circle Calendar. This meant Charlotte Linlin—later known as Big Mom—was just a sixteen-year-old girl, wandering the New World alongside the chef Streusen in search of the mysterious Sister Carmel.

As a child, Linlin had destroyed the Giant's Village, earning an initial bounty of 50 million berries. In just a few years, that had skyrocketed to 500 million. By now, she was a major force in the New World.

Gol D. Roger was only twenty-five—an unknown adventurer obsessed with historical Poneglyphs and exploring various Grand Line routes. Edward Newgate, the future Whitebeard, was just twenty-two and still part of an unnamed pirate crew. It was uncertain if he had acquired the Tremor-Tremor Fruit yet.

The infamous pirate Rocks was recruiting crew members, expanding his influence, and battling rival pirate factions, marking the beginning of his reign. Supernovas such as Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, Captain John, and Bondrewald had begun their conquests. Some would later fall under Rocks' command.

---

Brook rowed cautiously, scanning the waters for threats. The Florian's Triangle was infamous, but its marine ecosystem was relatively barren due to the absence of sunlight and algae, disrupting the food chain.

Moreover, Brook's spectral aura rendered him nearly undetectable to sea creatures, further ensuring his safety.

"How long will this take?" Brook muttered, exasperated. He had been rowing for an entire day and night, yet he had yet to see sunlight. This endless darkness was maddening.

While he was used to solitude, he had always relied on his computer, phone, and the internet for entertainment in his past life. Now, the only thing keeping him occupied was training and imagining new combat techniques.

Eventually, the thick fog began to dissipate, and the sky brightened. His heart pounded with excitement as he rowed faster, eager to break free from the Florian's Triangle.

Emerging from the mist, he was greeted by the vast, open sea and the warmth of sunlight. His hands trembled slightly from exhilaration, but that thrill soon faded into the monotony of rowing.

The sea remained unchanged. He had simply moved from a foggy expanse to a sunlit one—nothing more. And so, he rowed onward.

---

A sudden splash echoed in the distance. Brook tensed, gripping his cane sword as he watched a Sea King leap out of the water in pursuit of prey. His muscles coiled, ready to strike, but the creature disappeared beneath the waves.

After a long pause, with no further movement, he resumed rowing, following the log pose with haste to escape the area.

Hours later, smoke billowed on the horizon, accompanied by the thunderous roar of cannon fire. Civilization—at last.

Though it was clearly a battle, Brook didn't hesitate. Whether it was a clash between the Navy and pirates or a dispute between rival pirate crews, he needed to investigate.

As he approached, two ships came into view—one flying a black pirate flag adorned with a skull and crossbones, the other bearing the insignia of a merchant vessel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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