The next day.
The people of O'Hara and the scholars living beneath the Tree of Knowledge were jolted awake as the ground beneath them trembled. The entire island began to rise—ascending into the sky and heading straight for the Reverse Mountain, the gateway to the Grand Line!
Chaos erupted among the residents, but the Samurai Swordsmen and Seastone Riflemen of the Hell Pirates quickly restored order. Even Kaido and Fisher Tiger, still trainee crewmates, were sent out to keep things in check.
"You're young—get off your ass and get moving!" one of the senior crew barked at them. Meanwhile, I was living it up, stretched out under the sun, drink in hand, enjoying the view from the golden battleship.
Golden Lion Shiki had full control of the floating island, and Navigator Shakky was adjusting the sails and wind course to maximize speed. Giant dials stood upright across the enlarged island, catching tailwinds to boost their momentum.
But ever since the island grew in size from merging with others, its speed dropped noticeably. Brook, still weak from his injuries, immediately thought of Xiaofeng's Wind Control Fruit.
Without hesitation, after the Diger Pirates fall, that fruit is ours.
Brook looked toward the Kirin Lion and planning to handed it the Wind Control Fruit. From now on, it would be the King of the Wind. With that power, even without Vegapunk converting Golden Island into a proper propulsion system, they might be able to cross the Calm Belt. Still, Brook trusted Vegapunk's genius more than anything.
The West Blue was basically wrapped up—but there was one regret. Brook hadn't visited the Flower Kingdom, home to the IHappo Navy. That ancient pirate nation wasn't just a member of the World Government—it operated in both the underground and legitimate worlds.
The twelfth-generation leader of the Happo Navy, Don Chinjao, was currently rising through the New World ranks, earning quite the rep as a fearsome rookie. His name stood tall alongside the likes of Byrnndi World, Nagli, Unan, and Wandering Roger—all with bounties between 300 to 400 million berries.
"When the time's right, I'll go meet these hotshots. Maybe I can even recruit a few of them as allied crews. After all, both Nagli and Chinjao have Conqueror's Haki."
Truthfully, if Brook hadn't trained Redfield and the others in Ryuo Haki and helped awaken their Devil Fruit abilities, those Hell Pirates would've never gotten such a massive head start over their peers.
Red Earl Redfield, Golden Lion Shiki, Whitebeard Newgate, Charlotte Linlin—these names soared far above other Overlord Rookies, and their bounties followed. Especially compared to the early Roger Pirates, who before mastering the advanced Haki fusion technique, were just average power-wise.
Maybe it was because Roger learned to hear the Voice of All Things, which led him to some ancient inheritance and the technique for Haki fusion, giving him the strength to stand against Rocks ten years later.
The Roger Pirates haven't made much noise yet—their bounty still low. After all, they've only been in the New World for about a year. They don't have any powerful Devil Fruit users yet and still rely on the two-color Haki training that Brook generously handed over.
But for freak talents like Roger and Rayleigh, even basic Haki was enough for them to leapfrog their peers. In no time, they could overpower supernovas like Byrnndi and the others.
---
"It's harder to bring in those with Conqueror's Haki. They ain't gonna just join like Shiki did," Brook muttered, overlooking the ocean from atop the Tree of Knowledge. "But someone like Byrnndi World, with his Amplify Amplify Fruit, might be easier to reel in."
That guy was trying to imitate the Hell Pirates by jacking up his bounty. Recently, he attacked the Celestial Dragons' caravan, threatened to kill them, and blasted several World Government nations off the map.
Brook smirked. "Byrnndi got the firepower. A regular cannonball enlarged a hundred times can flatten a small island. That's why they're calling him the World Destroyer now."
The problem? He was just as reckless as Shiki. Taking in anyone and everyone. His crew was crawling with CP agents now.
Brook remembered how, in the original timeline, Byrnndi was betrayed by one subordinate after another. CP agents disguised as crewmates stabbed him full of holes using Finger Guns. Some say he was even drugged beforehand. A classic case of letting the wrong people in.
Brook shuddered. "If I hadn't known the plot... If Redfield didn't have that Mind Reading ability, Stussy—the damn CP agent—would've infiltrated us too."
Spies were damn near everywhere in the original story: the World Pirates, Drake with the Beast Pirates, Corazon in the Donquixote Family, CP9 in Water 7... even Morgans' reporters were fakes. And let's not forget Stussy, the Queen of Pleasure Street, one of the Six Underworld Emperors.
No way Brook would let randoms on the ship now. Redfield remained his final line of defense.
Now that O'Hara Island was more populated, it was likely that some World Government scholars had sneaked in. From the start, Brook had Antonio, the Snail Snail Fruit user, monitor all Den Den Mushi activity on the island.
Antonio had dozens of Black Den Den Mushi, and his Devil Fruit let him tap into snail calls. He already caught a few scholars leaking info to the Navy—they were quietly taken care of by Redfield's crew.
The Hell Pirates were now legends in the West Blue. Even if their location got exposed, it didn't matter. They were always on the move and had no real rivals in the region.
The real threat was the Navy Headquarters.
Brook had Antonio and Moore Thomas working overtime to track any ambushes. Through their spy snails and the Seagull Newsbirds, they discovered something disturbing—all three Admirals were gathering in the Grand Line.
"Damn it," Brook hissed, scanning the new report. "Are they seriously trying to block us from returning to the New World?"
Meanwhile, trouble was brewing elsewhere. Jack Sparrow of the Diger Pirates was stirring up chaos in his own territory, while the Rocks Pirates were waiting for the Overlord Alliance to fall apart. Hell, some of them were probably hoping the Hell Pirates would clash with the Diger Pirates.
--------------------------
Despite everything, the Hell Pirates held a clear advantage—air superiority. The question was: how would the Navy respond?
Golden Island was massive now, but its size made it a bit sluggish. If the Marines deployed several flying Devil Fruit users and dropped all three Admirals onto the island... it'd be the equivalent of dropping three nuclear bombs right on their own territory.
By then, Golden Island would be reduced to ruins. Even if the Hell Pirates escaped in the end, Brook's entire West Blue operation would take a massive hit.
They needed to prepare. Early.
Maybe a feint to the east, a strike from the west? Lure the tiger from the mountain? Or fly the golden airship as a decoy to draw fire? Or better yet—scout in advance and steer clear altogether. But that hinged on discovering the Navy's true position and plan. Last time they threw up a smokescreen, placing an Admiral on a Vice Admiral's warship. Anything could happen.
Brook smiled to himself. There might be a simpler way. After all, a pirate should act like a pirate.
Golden Island continued its steady flight toward Reverse Mountain while Brook and their navigator, Shakky, pored over a map of the West Blue islands.
"Here we go, Captain Brook! Try the Thunder-Roasted Pigeon! This one's lightly spiced with cumin!" the cook Streusen announced, holding a giant platter of roast squab—dozens of them, golden and crispy. The electrocuted peace doves turned out to be unexpectedly delicious once cooked properly.
"What now? This is the fifth roast pigeon I've had in two days," Brook said, picking one up anyway. "But I gotta admit—the World Government's Peace Dove News Birds are freakin' tasty. I wonder if the Seagull News Birds are any good?"
Shakky snatched one and bit into it casually. The platter offered flavors ranging from charcoal-grilled to curry, spicy, and sweet-and-sour.
And that idiot Brook actually dared to wonder what Morgans's Seagull News Bird might taste like. If he ever found out, he'd curse them to hell.
"Redfield's been working overtime. He's zapped so many of those peace doves these past couple days," Brook added, tearing off a bite.
Others might use electricity to fish—Redfield hunted birds. Since the West Blue was still under heavy World Government watch, those birds weren't just for show. Some were clearly surveillance tools.
Thanks to Redfield's Observation Haki combined with lightning-speed reactions, the Hell Pirates had been eating well.
"Hey, Brook! Have you decided which islands we're hitting? We're almost at Reverse Mountain," Shakky said, fingers greasy as she tapped five spots on the map.
Brook stared at her oil-smeared hands. His appetite vanished.
"Can you please learn some manners?! You're still a damn virgin, for god's sake!" he snapped.
He couldn't bear watching her grow into some unkempt, rude slob. She already smoked like a chimney. Now this?
"Why so cranky? It's not like anyone likes you anyway," Shakky smirked, slowly licking her fingers, then even her palms.
Brook's eye twitched. She was really pushing it. As someone who shared Redfield's elegant sensibilities, watching her eat like that was torture.
Redfield turned into a streak of lightning and vanished, visibly disgusted. Hell, even Big Mom swallowing whole pigeons—bones and all—was less disturbing than this.
This was a direct hit to their mental dietary boundaries.
"Freeze. You little vampire."
Brook finally snapped, flicking his hand lazily. A thin layer of dark blue ice instantly froze Shakky mid-lick.
But... he had been conserving power lately. His ice was no longer that deep, deep underworld freeze—it was just thin frost now. And Shakky shattered it with a few casual punches.
After all, she was a vampire with a 200 million berry bounty. You really think she'd be frozen that easily?
"Alright, Brother Brook! Since you're weakened, how about I show you what I can really do?" she said, grinning as her fangs extended and her red pupils gleamed.
She licked her lips and vanished into the shadows in a blink.
"Yohoho~... You're really trying to rebel now?" Brook chuckled. He'd only been pretending to be weak for the past few days. This brat really thought she could go wild without consequence?
"Haha! It's not every day I get a chance to beat up the Captain!" Shakky's voice echoed from every dark corner.
Was that also a vampire Devil Fruit ability? Looked like she'd been developing it well.
"Watch out! Shadow Sneak Attack!"
(TL: she annouce it guys hahahaah)
With a shrill battle cry, a dozen shadow clones flanked Brook. From the mass of shadows, the real Shakky emerged—fingernails extended like claws—aiming for his back.
"You cheeky little bloodsucker."
Brook took a single step forward, completely dodging her claws, and turned to stare calmly at the vampire girl.
"Of course I'm serious. You're worth 1.5 billion berries. Even if I scratch you, it's an achievement," Shakky said. "Didn't you teach us? A lion should use full strength even against a rabbit! Don't get mad now, Captain~"
With that, she vanished again into the darkness.
Brook chuckled. "Good grief... now you're using my own lessons against me?"
Fine. He'd show her what it really meant for a lion to hunt a rabbit.
The hunter-prey dynamic could flip in an instant.
Brook's pupils turned from pale to a cold, glowing blue as he lounged back onto the couch. Shakky, hidden in the shadows, furrowed her brow.
He was... relaxing?
He was underestimating her?
"Okay, then! Time to show you what the noble vampire clans can really do!"
From the shadows, Shakky surged out, trailing afterimages as her claws aimed straight for Brook's throat.
She was inches from connecting—when she suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Wait, wait, wait! I can't stop—!!" she shouted in panic.
Her hands had been frozen mid-strike—encased in cold blue ice.
Brook turned calmly, caught her mid-air, laid her across his lap...
And began to spank her.
PA! PA! PA!
"You dare attack the captain? I'll show you what happens when you mess with a lion!"
PA!
"You thought I was weak?!"
PA!
"You snuck up on me twice?!"
Everyone else on board stared in stunned silence. Then one by one, the crew wordlessly slipped away.
Shakky's face turned crimson. She broke free with a scream, covered her cheeks (and butt), and bolted out the room in a furious blur.
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