Stussy folded her delicate white hands in front of her lips and let out a playful chuckle, her eyes twinkling with exaggerated shock.
"Ahem… That was a mistake. I was just mad earlier—it was a reflex, okay? Don't get the wrong idea. Let's just call it a day and go home!"
Brook handed a map to Tom and Skye, one that Shakky had marked with the locations of the oil-rich islands. He told them to head to the nearest one first.
Then, with a subtle glance at Stussy—one that clearly said you know what to do—Brook leapt off the golden ship and soared toward the Tree of Knowledge on his somersault cloud, Hera.
The other crew members and officers scattered. Charlotte Linlin, noticing Brook flying toward the Tree of Knowledge, hopped on Thundercloud Zeus to follow him. But when she arrived, Brook was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, she wandered the shelves alone, hunting for her favorite books about various animals and species.
Stussy, wearing a coy smile, sprouted wings and flew after Brook toward the Tree of Knowledge. Her heart raced, and a glint of anticipation danced in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Shakky had locked herself in her room aboard the golden ship, tossing and turning, a mix of shyness and frustration on her face. She looked like she wanted to yell but also couldn't stop smiling.
"That bastard Brook! How could he hit me like that in front of everyone? So embarrassing!"
Just thinking about the whole scene made Shakky's face flush. I really need to act more ladylike... Big Brother Brook clearly doesn't like my rowdy behavior.
"That's it then! From now on, I'll be an elegant, graceful vampire—just like a proper lady! The kind Brook likes!"
But what Shakky didn't know was that, at that very moment, Brook and Stussy were wrapped in each other's arms inside the top floor library of the Tree of Knowledge, flipping through war strategy books.
"Brother Brook… your body is getting warmer?! That's amazing!" Stussy exclaimed with genuine joy, still snuggled against him.
Brook chuckled, gesturing at the book filled with illustrations of brutal combat scenes. "Keep reading—it gets better!"
He began explaining real battlefield techniques, teaching Stussy the moves described by the North Blue warrior, Teacher Avril. He even went on to explain the legendary Eighteen Awei Techniques—a powerful hand-to-hand fighting style comparable to the Navy's Six Powers.
Though deep down, he silently hoped Stussy wouldn't turn out as "brilliant" as Sister Bao did back when she tried learning it...
Later, Brook strolled out of the Tree of Knowledge looking extremely satisfied and returned to the golden sship. Stussy, on the other hand, fluttered off to a separate library to continue studying.
Not long after, the crew spotted a wealthy, flourishing island. Brook, Redfield, Newgate, and the others launched the Erebus and departed from Golden Island.
The Golden Lion, Shiki, remained in command of Golden Island, guiding it toward the next target.
Their golden ship didn't hold back—it stormed the palace of this island's ruling kingdom, abducted the entire royal family, and flew off toward the next kingdom without hesitation.
By the time the Hell Pirates reached Reverse Mountain, they'd already captured the royal families of five member nations. If the World Government hadn't acted quickly and warned the other kingdoms, the pirates might've gotten even more.
Redfield managed to extract the Navy Headquarters' Den Den Mushi number from one of the captured kings. Now it was time to see how the World Government would respond.
Would they abandon these five royals and launch an all-out attack on the Hell Pirates? Or would they negotiate and allow the pirates safe passage back to the New World?
Either choice would come with massive consequences.
If the royals weren't rescued, the World Government's authority would take a serious hit. Member states might even stop paying the Heavenly Tribute altogether. Why pay protection money to a government that doesn't protect you?
On the other hand, if the navy surrendered or compromised, it would damage their reputation. Their influence would shrink, public trust would fade, and other pirate crews might start using hostages to push the same tactic.
Brook knew this was a dirty move—but it was necessary. If he hadn't intercepted intel about the three admirals preparing to intercept them, he wouldn't have made such a bold threat. But when it came to the safety of his crew, he didn't care about NPCs.
If Kong had just stayed put in the New World and Coss Davo had remained stationed at Marineford, Brook would've wrapped things up quietly and slipped away.
But since the Navy had chosen to block their return route, he had to play dirty.
---
Antonio handed a Den Den Mushi to Brook.
Brook dialed the direct line to Navy HQ.
He wanted a face-to-face—well, shell-to-shell—chat with Fleet Admiral Kukulkan.
"Purururu… purururu…"
"Hello! This is the Marineford Communications Department. I'm operator 9527. May I ask which kingdom you're calling from? Is there an emergency?"
The communication officer, Stephen, kept his voice formal. After all, anyone calling this line was usually a royal or someone in serious power.
Brook's voice cut through the line, cold and sharp:
"This is Brook, captain of the Hell Pirates. Patch me through to the Fleet Admiral immediately—or I'll feed all five of your allied kings to the Sea Kings."
Stephen froze. The Den Den Mushi nearly slipped from his hands. Brook!? The guy who massacred Celestial Dragons? Now he's kidnapping kings and threatening the Navy!?
"P-please, don't hurt the kings! I'll get the admiral right away!!"
Stephen bolted out of the communications room, Den Den Mushi still in hand. On the other end of the line, Brook and the crew could hear him sprinting through the halls.
Moments later...
"Admiral! Brook from the Hell Pirates is on the line! This is urgent!"
Stephen burst into Kukulkan's office. The Fleet Admiral, buried in paperwork and annoyed by the interruption, was ready to bark out an order—until he heard the name Brook.
His expression darkened.
He snatched the Den Den Mushi out of Stephen's hands and growled:
"Brook, huh? You've got some nerve. First you butcher the Celestial Dragons—now you kidnap allied royalty and have the balls to call me?"
"What kind of Sea King meat did you eat to get this bold, huh?! Sooner or later, in the name of justice, I'll drag all of you to Impel Down myself!"
Kukulkan's fury radiated through the line. For days, he'd been stewing over this exact situation—and now Brook had finally decided to poke the beast himself.
------------------------
Hearing the furious voice of the Fleet Admiral on the other side of the line, Brook sneered,
"What, afraid you'll trace the Den Den Mushi signal and come after me?"
He didn't wait for a reply.
"You don't wanna talk? Fine. I'll just publicly execute all five royal family members who joined the alliance. This mess? It's on you Navy dogs for acting without thinking."
With a cold snort, Brook slammed the receiver shut, cutting off the Den Den Mushi. The tables had turned—he was the one in control now. Worst-case scenario? Abandon O'Hara. He could just take the important books and that scholar doctor to Golden Island and retreat.
He still had the Castle Fruit user, and Bra Kara, who wielded the Pocket Fruit. Those two alone could haul a ton of cargo. And with Golden Island's space, most of O'Hara's knowledge could be preserved.
Brook didn't need O'Hara for sentiment. He wanted to move the island—along with the Tree of Knowledge —to his own territory, so he could attract scholars and thinkers from across the world. But if it had to be sacrificed? So be it.
"Hahaha~! Brother Brook, that move when you hung up on the Fleet Admiral—smooth as hell!"
Golden Lion Shiki's eyes sparkled. He looked at Brook like he'd just seen a god.
"Seriously, threatening the Navy by holding kings hostage? Brilliant! Gotta learn that!"
Kaido, Fisher Tiger, and the other crew members looked at Brook with straight-up awe.
Captain Brook just told off the Fleet Admiral. Cold, calculated, legendary.
They didn't yet realize that Brook's actions would send shockwaves through the world—instilling fear in kings and inspiring countless pirates. Meanwhile, at the World Government and Navy Headquarters, the think tanks had already identified the threat:
This can't be allowed to continue.
Back in Marineford…
Fleet Admiral Kukulkan stared at the silent Den Den Mushi, his face twisted with rage. The highest-ranking officer of the Navy, commanding hundreds of millions, just got humiliated by a pirate.
Worse? The World Government demanded he rescue the kings and protect the Navy's reputation. If either objective failed, even he—the Fleet Admiral—would be held accountable.
"Fleet Admiral," said Chief of Staff Weimark, "don't let your anger cloud your judgment. Brook reached out first. He must want something. Let's hear his terms."
Kukulkan clenched his fists. He hated it, but Weimark was right. His earlier threats were rash.
"Brook is a lawless pirate! He attacked Celestial Dragons and allied royalty. If we cave now, he'll just get bolder. We can't let him dictate terms!"
Still, Kukulkan knew he had mishandled it. But letting the Hell Pirates return to the New World unharmed would be a disaster waiting to happen.
"I want to crush Brook and his crew myself," he growled. "Even if we have to sacrifice those kings. But the Five Elders won't allow it. Their orders are clear—we must protect the kings to maintain the image of the World Government. No gold from the member states, no funding. We have no choice."
Weimark understood. He wanted to eliminate the Hell Pirates too—but Brook was smart, dangerous, and too well-prepared.
Smart pirates were the worst kind.
"Damn it all!"
Kukulkan glared at the Den Den Mushi again. The humiliation burned deeper than any scar.
"Fleet Admiral, allow me to handle this."
Weimark stepped in, sensing Kukulkan's boiling anger. As his most trusted subordinate, this was his chance to clean up the mess. He calmly picked up the Den Den Mushi and redialed Brook's number.
Meanwhile, back with the Hell Pirates...
"It's ringing! It's ringing! Big Brother Brook's plan was right on the money—they're calling back!"
The crew watched with anticipation as their captain prepared to play mind games with the Navy.
At Brook's signal, everyone went silent.
"Yeah? Who the hell are you?" Brook barked as he picked up. "I'm busy getting the press ready to cover the execution of five kings. Gonna make headlines worldwide!"
He knew damn well who was calling, but his tone was sharp and loud—carefully designed for impact.
"I'm Weimark, Chief of Staff for the Navy. Let's skip the drama, Brook. I know you're not calling just for fun. Tell me your conditions."
Weimark wasn't here for games. Brook's call meant he didn't want an all-out war. Otherwise, he could've just killed the kings and run straight to the New World.
"Yohoho~! So the Fleet Admiral stopped barking threats, huh? Now he's sending his lackey to negotiate? Fine. I like talking to smart men."
Brook's voice turned cold.
"I know you've got your three admirals lurking somewhere on the Grand Line, waiting to ambush us. Here's the deal: Don't send a single ship after us. If we see any Navy presence on our way back, we kill on sight.
Once we reach the Sabaody Archipelago, we'll leave the kings on a random island nearby. Safe and sound."
Brook said it casually, but he was prepared for the worst. If it came down to a fight, he'd abandon O'Hara without hesitation.
Golden Lion Shiki had already started lifting the Tree of Knowledge and prepping O'Hara for evacuation. If the admirals showed up? O'Hara was gone.
"What do you mean, 'the three admirals are gathered'? Where'd you get that info?"
Weimark's eyes narrowed. Brook's intel was sharper than expected.
"You're the Chief of Staff, right?" Brook replied, smirking. "Don't worry about where I got it. Let's just say I have… ways. Plenty of them. The underground world's a goldmine if you know where to look."
He made it sound like he had spies in the Navy—like it just slipped.
"Don't play games with me. You don't know where the admirals are. And how can we trust you'll keep your word and release the kings?"
"Relax. I'm a man of integrity," Brook said mockingly. "As long as your ambush disappears, I won't hurt these innocent royals.
Oh—and don't get clever. I even know what your admirals wear to meetings."
Another smokescreen. Brook hinted at a mole high enough to sit in on admiral-level discussions.
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