Hearing Brook's confident words, Chief of Staff Weimark's face turned grim. Even Fleet Admiral Kukulkan beside him clenched his fists, his expression growing uglier by the second.
Could it really be possible? A pirate spy had made it to the upper ranks of the Navy? Impossible!
In all previous meetings, every officer present from the rank of Rear Admiral and above had served the Navy for years, earning their status through blood, sweat, and military merit.
Brook's Hell Pirates—and even the Rumbar Pirates before them—had only been active on the Grand Line for a few years. How could they possibly have embedded spies within Navy Headquarters?
Could it be spies from another intelligence network? Maybe Brook got the admirals' movements through someone else's system...
But that was even more terrifying. It would mean another force had successfully infiltrated the Navy! Brook's words had definitely shaken both Kukulkan and Weimark.
They realized something had to be done—and fast. The entire roster of high-ranking officers had to be reevaluated. Whether they were Brook's spies or those from another faction, they needed to be weeded out.
Otherwise, how could Brook have known about the secret deployment of all three admirals?
Not only that—he had even preemptively captured several kings from allied nations to use as leverage. That confirmed it. He'd known about the ambush plan well in advance.
"We still can't trust you completely, Brook," Weimark said, voice firm. "You must release the royal family members one by one—across different parts of the Grand Line!"
There was no way they'd let Brook bring all five kings near Sabaody and release them together. If he went back on his word, they'd have no countermeasure!
Weimark's response indirectly confirmed the truth: the Navy had dispatched three admirals to ambush the Hell Pirates near Reverse Mountain.
"Fine," Brook responded. "We'll release one in the waters near Alabasta... and another near a random island close to Water 7. That's my final offer—don't try to negotiate."
He grinned before delivering one final blow. "Oh, and tell Admiral Coss Davo this: today, he wore a black suit with a red tie covered in gold spots. He had horned cow milk and a sandwich for breakfast—plus three cups of coffee."
The line went silent.
Brook had just dropped a smoke bomb, sowing total chaos. Whether it was true or not didn't matter. He had the Navy completely paranoid now.
Would they actually check all their Rear Admirals and Vice Admirals? Maybe.
Was it possible spies from other factions had slipped in? Also yes. No one could say for sure.
Brook's bluff had landed with perfect precision.
Weimark and Kukulkan now believed—almost certainly—that there was a mole in their ranks. They immediately made plans to verify Brook's intel with Admiral Coss Davo.
Little did they know... it wasn't a spy. It was a damn Den Den Mushi that had leaked the whole thing.
If there was a real mole, hiding in the ranks of the ambush unit, then the Navy was truly cursed. Spies at that level didn't come cheap—it took years of effort and massive resources to plant them.
If it was true, the Navy had no one to blame but itself. Brook had played them beautifully.
"Brook," Weimark growled through the Den Den Mushi, "you better stick to your word and release the royals. Otherwise, we'll hunt you to the New World and shoot you down. We're pulling the admirals back—you're free to go."
Even the normally composed Chief of Staff was swearing now. That's how furious he was.
"Yohoho~ Watch your tone, Weimark!" Brook chuckled. "But I'll let it slide. I'm a big man—I don't hold grudges. We're heading back to the New World."
As soon as the call ended, Brook gave the order. The Golden Island ship surged forward at full speed, sailing toward Reverse Mountain to reenter the Grand Line and head home to the New World.
"Next time, I won't let an ambush like this even come close to happening," Brook muttered. "Vegapunk, you'd better step it up. Once we return, get working on that flight propulsion system. If we can fly through the Calm Belt, we'll never need to pass through the Grand Line again to get what we need."
---
On top of the Red Line above Reverse Mountain...
The three admirals had been waiting in ambush for days. But now, instead of a signal to attack, they got a retreat order from Navy Headquarters.
All that time wasted—gone.
Admiral Coss Davo's face was thunderous. He scanned his subordinates, cold eyes cutting into them. Somehow, someone had been watching his every move.
Still, no traitor stood out. Whoever it was, they were damn good at hiding.
Following Kukulkan's orders, the admirals immediately began withdrawal. Every single officer and soldier had to return to Marineford for a full background check. No one was allowed to leave the team or even call in sick.
A day later, the Golden Island smoothly passed through Reverse Mountain and into the Grand Line.
The ship's doctor, Crocus, didn't bother to stop at Twin Capes to greet his uncle, the lighthouse keeper. They had no time to waste.
The crew pressed forward, undisturbed.
"Captain Brook," Fisher Tiger said, half-amused. "Turns out you've got more brains than I gave you credit for. But I still believe fists are the ultimate truth!"
Kaido nodded in agreement.
Brook smirked. "And what happens when your fists aren't enough, huh? In this world, no one can claim to be truly invincible. Strength and intelligence—that's the real combo.
"Give two people the same strength—one clever, one dumb—the clever one wins. Simple."
Brook knew he had to teach these brutes a thing or two about strategy. Right time, right place, right people—that's what wins wars.
Even the strongest can fall to a storm. Just ask Golden Lion Shiki. Or get jumped by enough enemies, like Redfield or even Whitebeard.
The Golden Island soared peacefully now, and the residents onboard had shifted from panic to awe. The sky itself had become a luxury cruise.
Brook was considering whether to make a stop at the mausoleum in Alabasta to grab the Poneglyph that marked the location of Pluton.
But then again, he already knew Pluton was hidden in Wano Country. So the Alabasta Poneglyph wasn't even necessary anymore.
Still, he decided to drop off one of the royal hostages in Alabasta's capital. And if a quick side mission to grab the stone happened—well, why not?
---------------------------
Golden Island glided past the Ancient Island known as Little Garden. The Hell Pirates landed briefly to stock up on dinosaur meat, once again plunging the island into chaos and misery.
Next, they passed by Drum Island, where they bought a batch of precision medical instruments and a few advanced medical books to restock their supplies.
Then, the Golden Island flew directly toward Sky Island. On the way, they made a stop in Alabasta. Brook and Redfield took the golden ship down to the royal capital and personally handed over a captured royal family member to the King of Alabasta.
While there, Redfield used his Mind Reading ability to peer into the king's thoughts. Afterward, Brook unleashed his Conqueror's Haki to knock out everyone in the palace. Taking advantage of the confusion, they stole the poneglyph hidden in the tomb beneath the palace.
As for the other poneglyph rumored to be hidden somewhere in the desert? Brook didn't have time to search for it. He withdrew quickly and returned to Sky Island.
This particular poneglyph contained vital information on Pluton, so it hadn't been handed over to the archaeologist crew yet. Instead, it was placed beside the massive golden bell, alongside the base stone holding records on Poseidon.
By the time the King of Alabasta and the kidnapped monarch from the West Blue alliance came to, the Golden Island had already vanished into the clouds. They immediately contacted Marine Headquarters, but it was too late. The floating island had entered the White Sea above Sky Island, invisible even from Jaya Island below.
Since most of Shandora's gold had been transferred to the Golden Island, Moore Thomas established a branch office of the World Economic News Agency on the now mostly abandoned land. The seagull breeding base was also relocated to Golden Island, and Moore announced plans to move the main headquarters of the news agency to the Sky Island in the New World—Ballon Island.
Thanks to Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, the entire operation was effortless. Moore brought along all top executives to the New World, leaving only a small team behind to run the Shandora branch. A few Sky Islanders, loyal to the agency, decided to migrate as well.
The entire move took one day. Moore Thomas and his family of three settled into the City Lord's Building on Golden Island.
Meanwhile, Dr. Vegapunk had taken a cutting from Shandora's giant vine. His goal: to cultivate a new one on Ballon Island. The vine's quality rivaled even the Tree of Knowledge and promised enormous future value.
The Golden Island didn't linger. They had recently created a large pond where Laboon, the massive island whale over 20 meters long, was placed. At last, Laboon could follow Brook into the New World, even if the small pond was just a temporary home.
With preparations complete, the floating island resumed its journey. Near Water Seven, Brook once again dropped off one of the captured royals.
Meanwhile, Fishman Tom visited the Water Seven shipyard. He donated some private funds and gold to Master Jerry and handed over the Hell Pirates' flag. Then, with Redfield's help, he selected two clean-background shipwrights as apprentices and brought them back to Golden Island to teach them the secret of the Sea Train.
Although Jerry didn't see Brook, he had a strong feeling it was Brook who had stolen his Pluton blueprints. But he dared not speak out. Deep down, he knew Brook would likely hand the blueprints over to Tom for research. He just hoped that Brook wouldn't use Pluton to destroy the world.
As Golden Island moved deeper into the Grand Line, Marine Headquarters was busy conducting a major internal purge of traitors and spies. The crackdown uncovered numerous corrupt officials and marines who had been selling intelligence to the underworld.
Some even leaked mission details, general movements, and info on admirals in exchange for large sums of berries. Fleet Admiral Kukulkan was furious—he had several officers executed on the spot, and the rest were shipped to Impel Down for brutal punishment.
"Brook has now returned the members of two royal families and passed through Water Seven. They're en route to the Sabaody Archipelago. Are we really just going to let them return to the New World without a fight?"
Admiral Kong slammed his fist down in frustration. He'd hoped to ambush the Hell Pirates but instead got sidetracked by internal Navy scandals.
"They still hold three royal family members. Do you want to sacrifice them?" said Chief of Staff Wilmark, his tone icy. Both he and Kukulkan were under heavy pressure from the Five Elders, who demanded protection for the kings. Meanwhile, the Rothschild Celestial Dragon family—still fuming over the death of one of their own—was pushing for revenge.
But between obeying their government masters and appeasing a single Celestial Dragon family, the Navy's hands were tied. Their only option was to follow orders from above—and ignore the tantrums of the Rothschilds for now.
Still, the two highest Navy leaders were scolded like dogs every day by the Rothschilds. Kukulkan could barely take it anymore. The pressure, the politics—it was crushing. He even started thinking about stepping down as Fleet Admiral.
"Send a full force to Sabaody Archipelago," Kukulkan ordered grimly. "If Brook breaks his word and attacks, do not hold back. Don't try to capture him—kill him on the spot."
"Yes, sir!"
The three Admirals immediately boarded their personal warships and set sail for the archipelago, ready to intercept the Hell Pirates.
By now, the crew had split up. Golden Lion Shiki stayed aboard the Golden Island, navigating it toward the Red Line and circling into the New World through the Calm Belt under Shakky's command.
Meanwhile, Brook, Redfield, Newgate, and Big Mom took the golden ship to Sabaody, where Tom began coating it for deep-sea travel.
Their destination: Fishman Island—to claim the two poneglyphs hidden there.
Once coating was complete, the golden ship flew openly into the Sabaody Archipelago. Facing the oppressive presence of the three Admirals, Brook remained calm. Without a word, he tossed the remaining three royal hostages into a small prepped boat and shoved it to shore.
The admirals split their forces, two of them retrieving the royals while Kong launched into the sky using Moonwalk. He aimed to strike down the ship before it could dive.
But to his frustration, the ship had already been fully coated. It plunged straight into the sea, vanishing from sight and heading 10,000 meters down toward Fishman Island—leaving Kong hovering midair, his face twisted like he'd eaten rotten seaweed.
Although Brook kept his word and safely returned all five royal family members, the Navy remained deeply pissed. They'd just missed the perfect chance to deal with the Hell Pirates.
And next time? The Hell Pirates would only be stronger. Would the Navy even stand a chance against them in the New World?
Unlikely.
Unless, somehow, both the Hell Pirates and Rocks Pirates wiped each other out first… and the Navy could swoop in to claim the scraps.
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