Escape from the Devil's Triangle

Buluoke bowed his head toward the cabin, offering a silent tribute to bid farewell to these companions on Brook's behalf.

Buluoke scavenged the remaining scraps of food, fresh water, and valuable treasures left on the ship. He took up his Cane Sword; though it didn't quite suit his aesthetic, after merging with Brook's memories, it was currently his strongest sword technique.

He performed a few flourishes and thrust the blade into the railing, creating a hole rimmed with frost. This rapier was better suited for thrusting, but Buluoke preferred hacking and slashing; it seemed he would need to replace it when the opportunity arose.

Buluoke continued to practice the techniques from his memories, testing each one to ensure he wouldn't be caught unable to use them when facing an enemy.

It was truly miraculous. Having come from an ordinary world to this high-martial-arts magical world, the sword qi he unleashed and the icy Underworld Ghost Qi were all so novel that he found himself addicted, practicing his swordsmanship until his body grew weary.

After mastering the original techniques once more, he attempted to combine them with the Underworld Ghost Qi to unleash various attacks, simultaneously testing his physical limits to see if he, like Brook, had gained an immortal body.

Buluoke sliced his own arm, covered it in Underworld Ghost Qi, and watched it regenerate. It was incredible, though it consumed a significant amount of energy, leaving him feeling a wave of fatigue as he had to expend stamina to restore his flesh.

How similar this was to the regenerative effects of the Blue Flames of Resurrection from Marco's Phoenix Devil Fruit!

This would be his greatest survival skill. He didn't know if he could reattach his head like Brook if it were severed, but Buluoke dared not test it; the last thing he wanted was to die from trying!

The Rumbar Pirates' ship was far too large for Buluoke to operate alone, so he had no choice but to abandon it. He lowered a small lifeboat, a standard vessel kept for landing.

Buluoke left the ship without hesitation. Though he didn't know why the original Brook had been unwilling to leave alone—perhaps his heart had died, or he couldn't accept reality, or it was the bond with his companions—none of that concerned Buluoke.

From now on, in the world of One Piece, there would only be Brook; Buluoke would remain hidden deep within his heart.

Brook looked at the Log Pose on his wrist and rowed the small boat in the direction it indicated. He had searched the entire ship and found no Eternal Pose; it was safe to say the Rumbar Pirates had been quite incompetent, no wonder they hadn't even made it into the New World.

This was an ordinary Log Pose, which possessed only one needle. Once filled with magnetic force, it would point in only one direction. In contrast, a New World Log Pose had three needles pointing in three different directions; the most stable one indicated the safest path, while the more a needle jittered, the more unstable and dangerous the magnetic field was.

Although Brook could survive without eating, he remained in a standby state, barely able to move and unable to grow stronger.

Only by constantly obtaining energy through high-quality food could he continue to cultivate and grow; this was the reason Brook had made no progress during his thirty-plus years in the Florian Triangle.

According to Brook's age, he was thirty-eight this year—a proper senior uncle. In his past life, Buluoke had been in his twenties, spending his days working, editing videos, and watching anime, so he was quite well-versed in the plot of One Piece.

It was currently the year 1470 of the Sea Circle Calendar. This year, Charlotte Linlin was just a sixteen-year-old girl pirate, wandering the New World with the chef Streusen, searching for the whereabouts of Mother Carmel, who was of unknown fate.

After Charlotte Linlin destroyed the village of giants in her childhood, her initial bounty had already reached 50 million Berries. After roaming the New World for just a few years, her bounty had already risen to 500 million Berries.

By now, Linlin should already be a great pirate with a bounty exceeding 500 million.

Gol D. Roger was twenty-five this year, still just a newcomer with a small reputation in the Grand Line, passionate about searching for Poneglyphs and adventuring along various routes.

Edward Newgate was only twenty-two, still drifting in some pirate crew; it was unknown if he had obtained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit yet.

The great pirate Rocks had begun to recruit followers and expand his territory, fighting against various great pirate crews in the New World and entering an era of hegemony.

Newcomers like Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe, Ochoku, Captain John, Byrnndi World, Ibadonbo, and other Supernovas were entering the New World one after another, some of whom would later be recruited by Rocks.

Brook rowed continuously in one direction, vigilantly watching beneath the sea, worried that a giant Sea King might suddenly appear and swallow his small boat in one gulp.

In truth, there were relatively few marine creatures in the Florian Triangle. Because of the lack of sunlight and the absence of algae, the entire ecosystem had been destroyed, leading to a harsh environment for survival.

Moreover, the icy Underworld Ghost Qi radiating from Brook's body prevented creatures beneath the surface from sensing his presence.

"When will this ever end!" Brook had been rowing through the Florian Triangle for a day and a night without seeing a single ray of sunlight. Such a dark, sunless place could truly drive a person mad.

Although he was a loner by nature, that was only when he had a computer, a phone, and an internet connection.

He was surely much stronger than the original Brook now, given that he had proactively merged with so much Nether Qi and Underworld Ghost Qi.

If not for the lack of food and insufficient energy, Brook would have wanted to unleash all the wild, imaginative techniques he had dreamt up while bored at the oars.

Brook continued to row, and finally, he noticed the thick fog beginning to thin and the sky starting to brighten.

He was finally about to escape the Florian Triangle. Excited, Brook accelerated his rowing, heading toward the sunlight. One Piece world, here I come.

Bursting out of the fog, he looked at the vast, boundless blue ocean and the warm sunlight. Brook was so moved that his hands trembled on the oars, but soon, he fell back into the boredom of rowing.

The sea was still the sea; he had merely moved from the fog zone to the sunny zone, and it was still endless rowing.

Splash.

A sound of water in the distance startled Brook. It was a small Sea King leaping out of the water to hunt, making Brook tense up—the Grand Line was full of dangers!

Brook had already drawn his Cane Sword, suffused with cold Underworld Ghost Qi, ready to strike with all his might. But after waiting for a long time with no further movement, he had no choice but to continue rowing in the direction of the Log Pose, quickly fleeing the area.

Several hours later, Brook suddenly saw a column of smoke in the distance and heard the sound of cannon fire. Had he finally found humans? Whether it was the Navy fighting pirates or a battle between pirates, Brook had to go and see.

As Brook drew closer, he finally made out the flags of the two ships: one was a black skull flag, and the other was an artistic seagull flag, which looked like a merchant ship.