"Gekko Moria, you are the first pirate permitted to tour Impel Down," Sengoku spoke first. He glanced at Sakazuki; it was rare for this hardliner not to inflict severe punishment on a pirate.
But this also meant that Akainu believed the benefits this person could bring to the Navy far exceeded those of an ordinary pirate.
The Great Buddha kept a cold face, staring expressionlessly at the other man. Even Sakazuki, standing beside Moria and not deliberately targeted, could feel that powerful sense of suppression.
Not to mention Moria, who was locked onto by Sengoku. This great pirate, who had once reigned supreme in the New World, now had cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He felt as if he was being seen through, inside and out, by a deity high up in the cloud kingdom of Buddha. He finally understood why the Navy, currently with only one active Admiral stationed, could still suppress the unruly great pirates of the New World, preventing them from raising their heads.
If this veteran Navy Admiral, who had contended with the New World hegemon Whitebeard for half his life, were to attack him, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance.
After a moment, Sengoku finally spoke slowly: "Don't disappoint me, Moria. Otherwise..."
Moria let out a long breath. He glanced at the two beside Sengoku who had yet to pressure him—the Navy Headquarters' Great Staff Officer, and the overall commander governing the Navies of the Four Seas and the Grand Line—Fleet Admiral Kong.
He forced a smile: "Kishishishi, of course, I firmly believe we can cooperate very happily with the Navy."
Seeing Sengoku play the 'bad cop', the Fleet Admiral, having a tacit understanding, made a promise: "If you can fulfill your duties and responsibilities as a Warlord of the Sea, wholeheartedly hunting down pirates entering the first half of the Grand Line from the Four Seas, it's not impossible for the Navy to provide some assistance for your revenge."
Although Sakazuki proposed this suggestion, Moria's permission to enter the Great Deep Sea Prison was ultimately thanks to the Fleet Admiral's approval.
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Now, Moria, prove your abilities," the Navy Headquarters Great Staff Officer made the final summary.
Although she knew Sakazuki, that little rascal, never acted without reason, the claim of "completely eliminating prison breaks from the Great Prison" still seemed somewhat exaggerated in her view. This was also why she insisted on coming to confirm it with her own eyes.
Sakazuki turned to look at the great demon king of this prison: "Warden Magellan, please bring up a few prisoners to facilitate the experiment."
Magellan didn't respond directly to Sakazuki's words but instead cast his gaze towards Kong. Seeing the big boss nod slightly, he then moved towards the elevator door leading to the various prison levels.
Seeing the Warden personally fetching the prisoners, Shiliew, standing aside with nothing to do, finally turned his gaze towards the two people beside Sakazuki. He directly ignored the living skeleton deliberately weakening its presence and pointed at Gion: "Nice sword."
The Big Rabbit had no prior interaction with this renowned great swordsman. Seeing him initiate conversation, she merely responded politely: "Your sword is also a treasure."
But this kind of pointless small talk made the others present feel awkward. Tsuru first glared fiercely at Sakazuki, then smoothed things over: "Is this the skeleton man you mentioned who ate the Yomi Yomi Fruit?"
This unique living skeleton, even for the well-informed people present, couldn't help but evoke clicks of amazement.
"Yes, he appeared on a dilapidated pirate ship, calling himself a musician," Sakazuki, baffled by the glare, still explained.
"Shut up, Sakazuki, I wasn't asking you," Tsuru's tone clearly carried anger, but she immediately suppressed her anger and began gently ruffling Gion's head again: "Did you find out anything?"
Sakazuki, completely unaware of how he had offended Vice Admiral Tsuru, looked bewildered. He cast a pleading gaze towards his superior.
But unexpectedly, the look Sengoku returned was full of apology. Taking advantage of Comrade Tsuru's momentary concern for her sister's well-being, the Great Buddha silently mouthed to Sakazuki: I'll buy you a drink when we get back.
???
???
Before the utterly confused Sakazuki could ask, the Fleet Admiral, who had been intently studying the skeleton's hairstyle, suddenly slapped his forehead, drawing everyone's attention.
"Your name?" Kong stared thoughtfully at the skeleton's attire, deciding to directly interrogate for key information.
The afro-headed skeleton hesitated. This sturdy old man with graying hair was clearly a veteran Navy officer. If his memory contained his file, it would be disastrous.
"My name is Leoric! I'm a musician!" Since the other party couldn't confirm his name yet, Brook simply made up a cool-sounding name on the spot.
But he seemed to have forgotten that he had introduced himself when fighting a certain big rabbit.
Thus, the moment his voice fell, Gion sharply interjected: "Fleet Admiral! He's lying! When he fought me, he said his name was Brook!"
"Brook... is it? In that case, it matches." Kong finally realized where that subtle sense of familiarity came from.
He smiled at the skeleton: "If it weren't for the fact that you retained your original hairstyle after becoming a skeleton, exactly matching the bounty photo in the files, I probably wouldn't have connected it to you for a while."
"Bounty: 33,000,000 Beli. 'Humming' Brook. As an unconventional pirate from thirty-five years ago, you intrigued me for quite some time," Kong explained softly to the others.
Sengoku and Tsuru had an epiphany. No wonder they had absolutely no impression of this guy in their memories. Thirty-five years ago, they were just rookies. Only 'Steel Bone' Kong, who hadn't yet become an Admiral at the time, would have seen such old files.
Sakazuki immediately took a step forward, ferocious killing intent washing over Brook: "What do you say now? 'Great Musician'?"
"However, Sakazuki, he didn't deceive you. He was indeed a renowned musician in the West Blue at that time," Kong said, recalling something, his gaze towards the skeleton turning somewhat peculiar.
Sengoku keenly caught the term "unconventional pirate" Kong had used earlier. He asked with some confusion: "A bounty of 33 million isn't actually that high, Big Brother Kong. Do you remember this skeleton because his appearance was unconventional?"
"No, he looked human before. I don't know why he turned into this skeletal form now." Kong waved his hand. "His unconventionality lies in the fact that he was clearly a famous musician in the West Blue, also holding the high position of a kingdom's guard captain, yet chose to go adventuring with a group of music-loving pirates."
"So he started as a musician," Gion nodded, frankly admitting, "The violin piece he played on that broken ship earlier was the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life."
Kong smiled and pointed at Brook: "Your Rumbar Pirates caused me considerable confusion back then."
Sakazuki had never heard this kind of obscure history. Could it be that Kong had actually met this old perverted skeleton before?
"Unlike other pirates who plunder towns and merchant ships for supplies, the Rumbar Pirates, wherever they went, would collect their adventure funds through orchestral concerts. They even gave free performances for the old and weak in towns—the Rumbar Pirates who could make crying children laugh."
Kong was immersed in reminiscence. "I just couldn't understand back then, why would such a pirate crew exist? Setting aside their black-on-black fights with other pirate crews at sea, they didn't harm civilians at all. And supposing I encountered such a pirate crew, should I really arrest them?"
Sakazuki now understood. This was another bunch of guys acting as adventurers under the guise of pirates. If they hadn't flown a pirate flag and repelled several Navy arrest attempts, they wouldn't have been given bounties at all!
"Fleet Admiral, I believe this might be an opportunity. An opportunity for us to personally cultivate a Warlord," Sakazuki timely advised. "If it's truly as you described, and the deeds of the Rumbar Pirates and this skeleton serving as a kingdom guard captain can be verified, then such an unconventional pirate can be considered for the Warlord candidate list."
Tsuru frowned: "Sakazuki, although this skeleton is a member of the pirate community, among pirates, he can only be considered mediocre. Being defeated by Gion in a few moves indicates his strength is also average. Such a Warlord might not pass the review easily."
Sakazuki, however, didn't abandon his viewpoint: "Compared to those great pirates whose backgrounds and habits are unknown, at least a Warlord cultivated by our own hands can reassure the Navy."
He suddenly shook his head: "Speaking of influence, what we need is fundamentally not his deterrent power within the pirate community. Just the music he played halfway through earlier, it's indeed as Gion said, even a crude person like me who doesn't understand music much quite appreciated it. Then what if his influence in the music world is exerted on civilian fans?"
"Wait, Sakazuki, are you saying?" Tsuru was a smart person. Although Sakazuki spoke vaguely, she immediately understood.
"The influence of the Warlords shouldn't solely manifest as one-sided deterrence against the pirate community. Previously, Hawkeye, the swordsman on our invitation list, wasn't it precisely because we valued his prestige among swordsmen?"
Sakazuki remained calm and composed because he knew that in the future, whether it was Boa Hancock who could represent Amazon Lily, or Jinbe who could ease relations with Fish-Man Island, the selection would no longer rely solely on deterrence against pirates.
Besieging pirates was one aspect; being able to rally sufficiently powerful forces was equally part of the World Government's calculations.
Sengoku clapped his hands and burst out laughing: "Hahahaha, Sakazuki, your head is truly full of cunning schemes! Excellent! Currently, the image of the Seven Warlords indeed needs a public relations effort beneficial to us."
Since the establishment of the Seven Warlords, whether it was the recruited Crocodile or the Moria now beside them, this group of arbitrary pirates only garnered fear and disgust among the populace.
This public dissatisfaction with the Seven Warlords directly lowered the reputation and prestige of the Navy, which worked under the same World Government banner as the organization.
But before they could delve deeper into this topic, the clanking sound of kadāng, kadāng interrupted their conversation.
Accompanied by the light sound of chains scraping against the ground, Magellan emerged from the elevator, escorting ten prisoners.
"It's your turn, Moria." Sakazuki tilted his head towards the nearly 7-meter-tall great pirate.
Just now, they had discussed matters concerning the Seven Warlords right in front of the two pirates without any hesitation, implicitly showing Moria the confidence of Navy Headquarters: if he couldn't stand on the same chariot as the Navy and contribute to them, then an individual like him, lacking influence and untrusted, could potentially be removed in the casual talk among the Navy's top brass.
Moria, having understood all this, strode forward. He urgently needed to prove that his abilities could be used by the Navy, so he could borrow the power of the Great Prison to complete his revenge against Kaido.
He grabbed one of the detained pirates, and amidst the other's terrified howls, pulled out a massive pair of scissors from his pocket with his right hand.
Using the light from the corridor, Moria carefully aimed at the shadow projected by the prisoner.
"Kacha!" (Snip!)
The short clash of the scissor blades made the hoisted pirate think he was about to be cut in two by this tall, strange man.
But when the scissors closed, seemingly nothing happened.
The prisoner's mind relaxed, and an inexplicable sense of fatigue quickly washed over him, causing him to faint directly.
But the few people observing from not far away saw something different. When Moria's scissors closed, the shadow projected by that prisoner on the wall was directly cut off from the bottom of his feet.
The great pirate grabbed the shadow frantically twisting on the wall and tore it down from above.
Sakazuki turned his head back towards Brook with a sinister look: "I think you heard our conversation earlier. So, now you have two choices before you. First, fight to the death against the combined forces of the Navy Fleet Admiral, Navy Headquarters Admiral, Navy Headquarters Great Staff Officer, and two Prison Wardens..."
"I choose the second one!" Brook shrieked before Sakazuki could even finish speaking. The cries and screams of the pirate prisoners nearby still echoed in his ears, and the first suggestion was fundamentally no different from seeking death!
Sakazuki seemed somewhat surprised: "I believe I didn't threaten or force you to choose the second one, did I?"
"No one forced me! I volunteer!" The skeleton's face was humanly filled with determination as he replied resolutely.
"Then your mission is?"
"To cleanse souls with music, to touch the hearts of the people with good behavior and beautiful melodies!" Brook said this with righteous conviction.
"It seems you have some self-awareness as a partner of justice," Sakazuki nodded.
Sengoku's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. He lowered his voice and leaned towards old brother Kong's ear: "Why do I feel like that skeleton just has a strong desire to survive?"
While the group reached a consensus, the pirates' wails had all ceased. And at Moria's feet lay ten prisoners, sprawled haphazardly, freed from their shackles and handcuffs.
"Your ability makes them faint?" Magellan still hadn't understood what the other intended to do.
Moria gave a eerie smile: "Temporary unconsciousness is just a side effect of having the shadow stolen. If you want to wake them up faster, just splash cold water on them..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Sakazuki walk into the middle of the pirates. His hand, already turned red, touched down onto the prisoners' arms.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! So hot!"
"Pain, pain, pain!"
"What is this! A new torture device??"
"It's a branding iron, right! It's a branding iron, right!"
Watching the unconscious test subjects wake up one by one, Sakazuki clapped his hands: "Just now, I think some of you who fainted later already saw this skeleton voluntarily cooperating with the Navy."
He adjusted the brim of his naval cap: "I, Sakazuki, am not some demon either. I will give you the same opportunity."
The prisoners looked at each other. One pirate mustered the courage to ask: "Does this opportunity mean cooperating with the Navy? That 'music cleansing' thing?"
Sakazuki shook his head, rejecting the unreliable answer. He spoke solemn nonsense: "Simpler than that. The Great Deep Sea Prison is currently estimating the fastest escape speed of prisoners. The jailers will not obstruct you. And among you ten, whoever reaches the prison entrance first, I will grant you what you dream of..."
He deliberately paused, then stated the reward with a smile that didn't reach his eyes: "...freedom."
"What? We can leave here?" The prisoners' voices instantly grew louder. "Is this real?"
"Who cares if it's real! But at least there's hope, right? I've had enough of this hell!" One prisoner spat thick phlegm onto the ground.
Sakazuki observed the hope gradually appearing in these pirates' eyes and nodded: "Whoever reaches the entrance first and sees the sun will be released. I told you, I, Sakazuki, am not some demon; I won't keep you locked up here for life."
"Now, run!"
Ten pirates dashed madly towards the gate, pushing and shoving each other, desperately running towards hope.
The fastest among them was a lean prisoner. His footwork was impressive; he came from behind, overtook the others, and ran towards the sunlight with great strides.
Sunlight! That was the sunlight he hadn't seen since being imprisoned! So brilliant, so dazzling! Under the light, he would welcome his own freedom!
The bright sunlight finally shone upon his body, but it lacked the imagined warmth.
"Ah!" The prisoner bathing in the sunlight let out a terrified scream. He looked down and saw his body gradually melting away like a snowdrift under the sun. In the blink of an eye, he turned into nothingness.
"What happened? How did he disappear! Ah!!" The prisoner following closely behind the first one hadn't understood why the guy ahead suddenly turned into a fleeting shadow, but his steps were too fast.
Under the terrified gazes of the other prisoners, he was engulfed by that brilliant radiance.
"Don't walk into the sunlight!" The pirates retreated as fast as they had charged forward before.
Sunlight had become a fatal hope, visible but unattainable.
"You tricked us!" The pirates roared angrily in this direction.
Sakazuki still wore that same smile that didn't reach his eyes. His words were full of sarcasm: "No, I indeed gave you what you wanted. Although you lost your lives, you gained your freedom."