Brook had secretly snuck into Moria's castle and, by pure coincidence, stumbled upon the battle between Takumi and Moria.
"What incredible strength... It nearly scared my eyeballs out—though I don't have any, yohohohoho!" Brook muttered to himself.
After landing from the upper floor, Takumi made his way through the door and noticed Brook standing outside.
Since Brook was technically dead—no breath, no heartbeat, and almost no sound when he walked—Takumi hadn't sensed him at all. Apparently, the skeleton musician had followed him onto Thriller Bark.
That meant Brook had already discovered the island, and with Takumi having defeated Moria, it was likely Brook's shadow would remain safe. Takumi had inadvertently changed the course of Brook's fate. Whether this meant Brook would still meet Luffy in the future, Takumi couldn't be certain. It didn't really matter to him either way, as long as it didn't affect his sign-in progress.
Just then, the system's voice rang in Takumi's mind.
[Ding! You have defeated Shichibukai Gecko Moria. Sign-in progress +20%. Current progress: 70%.]
[Ding! You have altered Brook's fate. Sign-in progress +10%. Current progress: 80%. Reward: Swordsmanship level +1. Current Swordsmanship level: Lv8.]
Suddenly, an intense and terrifying sword aura erupted from Takumi, radiating outward and causing the ground floor walls of the building behind him to crack. The sheer force of it was overwhelming.
If not for the steel reinforcements embedded in the structure, the entire first floor would have collapsed.
"My goodness! What terrifying swordsmanship!" Brook exclaimed, eyes wide—or rather, his empty sockets seemed wider—before instinctively drawing his cane sword to block the pressure of Takumi's released aura.
Despite his efforts, the powerful sword aura still pushed Brook back half a step.
Before Takumi could react, the system voice chimed again.
[Ding! You have freed all the shadows under Moria's control. Sign-in progress +20%.]
[Ding! Thriller Bark sign-in mission completed. Congratulations, host. Reward: Shadow Clone Jutsu level +1. Current Shadow Clone Jutsu level: Lv2.]
Takumi blinked in surprise. "...That was fast."
His mind raced for a moment, then he asked the system, "Does the increased level of Shadow Clone Jutsu affect the number of clones I can summon?"
Earlier, during his fight with Moria, he had expected to summon more clones but had only managed to create one.
[Ding! Yes, the number of clones is tied to the jutsu's level. In addition, each summoned clone not only retains the host's physical strength and reflexes but can also randomly replicate one of the host's abilities. When multiple clones are summoned, each will replicate a different ability.]
Hearing this, Takumi couldn't help but be impressed. "So, there's still a limit to how strong the clones can be…"
Shrugging, Takumi brought up his status panel.
Name: Takumi
Age: 14
Sign-in Location: Water 7 (0%)
Physical Traits: Full-attribute chakra, Insulator body
Haki: Armament Haki Lv6, Conqueror's Haki Lv4, Observation Haki Lv6
Mastery Skills: Swordsmanship Lv8, Shunpo Lv5, Night Guy Lv2, Fairy Sphere Lv2, Kamehameha Lv2, Shadow Clone Jutsu Lv2
Special Techniques: Divine Departure (Mastery), Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique (Mastery), Healing Palm (Mastery), Yin Healing Wound Destruction (Mastery), Wind Release: Infinite Sand Dust Breakthrough (Mastery), Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation (Beginner), Raikiri (Mastery), Shadow Imitation Technique (Mastery)
Six Powers: Finger Pistol Lv1, Iron Body Lv3, Shave Lv1, Moonwalk Lv1, Tempest Kick Lv1, Paper Art Lv1
Weapon: Cursed Sword Star Fragment (Lake Toya)
System Space: 1000x1000x1000 cubic meters
His next destination was Water 7, the city of shipwrights.
It was the perfect opportunity to get a new ship. While Enel's ship was still in good condition, both internally and externally, its overall design left much to be desired—especially to someone like Takumi, who found Enel's aesthetic taste absolutely atrocious.
With his status panel closed, Takumi decided to return to the ship.
Seeing Takumi about to leave, Brook hurried after him. "Wait a moment, young man! Your strength is truly remarkable, though I have no heart to race from my chest, yohohohoho~! But I'm in a bit of a predicament. My ship is badly damaged, and I can't sail out of this area. If it's not too much trouble, could I perhaps ride on your ship and leave with you?"
Brook followed closely behind Takumi, hopeful.
"No," Takumi said bluntly.
"Eh?" Brook was taken aback. "Just a ride? I promise not to cause any trouble!"
"No," Takumi repeated, still walking.
In truth, Takumi wasn't interested in helping. He had a feeling that if he did, it would only lead to more headaches down the road. It was better to nip any potential future complications in the bud now.
"But why?!" Brook persisted.
Takumi, now thoroughly tired of the conversation, activated Shunpo and vanished from sight in an instant.
"Eh? Where'd he go?" Brook rubbed his empty eye sockets in disbelief. "What speed! But I won't be left behind so easily!"
Determined, Brook sprinted in the direction Takumi had gone. However, no matter how far he ran, he couldn't catch up to Takumi. Instead, he found himself standing in front of a derelict shipyard, filled with various vessels in differing states of disrepair. To Brook's surprise, some of the ships were in remarkably good condition, with only minor damage.
"Huh… what's this?" Brook scratched his afro, and then it hit him. His empty eyes filled with realization. "That boy must have brought me here on purpose! He must have known I needed a ship, so he led me to this hidden shipyard. What a generous soul! After all, even if I had money—and I don't—nobody would sell a ship to a skeleton! How thoughtful!"
Brook chose a small vessel, and as he pushed it out from the shipyard, a sudden thought crossed his mind.
"Ah! I forgot to ask the kind young man his name! How careless of me…"