If the giant lantern attached to the Island-Swallowing Lantern Fish was truly made of pure gold, Brook knew one thing for certain—he'd be swimming in riches.
Of course, if pure gold turned out to be abundant, it might lose its rarity… but first things first—they had to get it.
Brook understood the Lantern Fish had been drawn to the glowing radiance of Alchemi Island, which could only mean one thing: it had seen pure gold before. It was likely this behemoth had consumed it in the past. After all, the creature was already massive two hundred years ago, far surpassing even the largest Sea Kings. For it to have reached such a size, it must've lived for centuries—if not longer.
Even if its lantern wasn't made entirely of pure gold, there had to be a substantial amount within it. Otherwise, how could it emit such intense light for so long?
"Hahahaha! That pure gold is ours for the taking!!"
Greed flashed in the Golden Lion Shiki's eyes like lightning across the sky. Who wouldn't want eternal youth? Now that such a possibility was within reach, he'd never forgive himself if he let it slip away.
"Eternal youth? We want that too!" Charlotte Linlin and Stussy said in unison, their voices echoing with fierce intent. The desire for beauty and immortality—these were timeless obsessions, especially for women of power.
The legend was real. A substance that could defy time and grant immortality existed. It was intoxicating. It was madness.
"We're going all in on this mission. We must claim it," Brook declared, his tone solemn yet filled with excitement. He only hoped that Mermaid Dan could fire the signal transmitter into the Lantern Fish's body. That way, even if they couldn't secure it immediately, they could still track the beast across the seas.
"Move out! Immortality won't wait for us!!"
With a booming laugh, Shiki commanded the flying fleet to accelerate. He barked orders to the Kirin Lion to maximize the power of his Wind-Wind Fruit, pushing their speed to the limits.
As they advanced, Brook gathered his core crew to discuss tactics. After intense deliberation, they agreed—the best way to subdue the Island-Swallowing Lantern Fish was with lightning.
"This time, Redfield's thunder and Linlin's thunderclouds will be our spearhead. After that, the five of us will focus our Advanced Conqueror's Haki into a pinpoint strike. We must knock it out before it flees!"
"If that fails, Shiki will drop an island to block its escape, and Newgate will trigger a tsunami to cut off its retreat!"
Brook's voice turned cold and commanding. "Once you see it—strike with everything you have. No second chances. If it escapes today, we might never lay eyes on it again. Understood?!"
"Understood!" the crew roared in unison.
They all felt the weight of the operation. This wasn't just another hunt. This was once-in-a-century.
The Island-Swallowing Lantern Fish hadn't been seen in over a hundred years. None of them could afford to wait another century. No matter how powerful they were, none could escape the fate of a short-lived species. Reaching eighty or ninety was already a blessing.
Brook, seeing their steely determination, felt his own excitement rise.
Wait for us, Island-Swallowing Lantern Fish... we're coming.
The flying fleet soared through the skies, tearing across sea zones at breakneck speed. Below them, pirates on scattered islands looked up in awe and terror.
---
Meanwhile, northwest of Alchemi Island, Mermaid Dan and his Fish-Man Island scouting team had finally caught up to the Lantern Fish. Compared to this monster, they were like ants crawling on a mountain.
"Captain Dan! Its scales are too thick—we can't get the signal darts through!" one fishman shouted, eyes wide with tension.
Dan's brow furrowed. They only had two signal javelins. If both failed... the consequences would be dire.
"Try the fins! The tail, the dorsal fin—find a weak spot where the scales are thinner!"
Swimming up alongside the colossal creature, Dan's heart pounded. Each scale was the size of a house. The beast was even larger than the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt. And its natural defenses? Nigh impenetrable.
If they forced the signal darts in recklessly, they'd only break them—and that would mean mission failure.
The fishmen spread out, scanning every fin, searching desperately for an opening.
Dan veered toward the dorsal fin. Then he saw it—the glowing lantern.
He paused, mesmerized.
If only they could install that lantern atop Fish-Man Island... then even the darkest depths of Fishman Street would bask in sunlight.
Currently, only Ryugu Palace, perched on the upper layers, had access to sunlight nearly identical to the surface. The lower layers—Fishman Street—remained in perpetual gloom. And that darkness bred crime, poverty, and mistrust.
But Brook had changed that. Ever since the Hell Pirates had taken Fish-Man Island under their protection, things had slowly begun to improve.
Talented fishmen and merfolk could now join the Hell Pirates and live freely beneath the sun. The trafficking and abuse of fishmen had dwindled under Brook's strict rule. Hope had begun to bloom.
Still, not everyone dared leave. Of the island's four to five million residents, only around 100,000 fishmen had ventured to Brook's territory. Centuries of fear and oppression had left scars not so easily healed.
Dan tore his gaze away from the glowing lantern and reminded himself of the mission. He clutched the signal harpoon and swam toward the fin again.
But the moment the Lantern Fish flicked its fin, it was like a mountain shifting. The shockwaves alone could kill them. Finding a window to plant the harpoon was nearly impossible.
And then—it began diving.
"It's heading for the deep sea!" a voice cried.
Dan's time was running out. His eyes locked on the thick muscle stalk connecting the glowing lantern to the fish's head.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and drove his trident into the base of the lantern.
Clang!
The muscle was tough—almost rubber-like. Gritting his teeth, Dan pushed with all his strength, managing to bore a hole just wide enough. With a roar, he slammed the signal dart in.
At the same time, a shark-man teammate jammed his dart into the gap between two massive scales. It wasn't ideal—it could fall out—but it was all they could manage.
The lantern fish accelerated, diving deeper, disappearing into the abyss.
They had done what they could.
Now, it was up to Brook and the others.
------------
The search team, led by Mermaid Dan, could only watch helplessly as the colossal, island-swallowing lantern fish slipped into the pitch-black depths of the sea. They had no means of stopping it.
"Is the signal being received? Check the tracker!" Mermaid Dan's voice was tight with worry. If the signal gun had failed to attach,
He had no idea how he'd explain this to Captain Brook. In hindsight, he should've confirmed success before calling him.
"I got it! It's heading toward Alchemi Island!!" a fishman shouted, clutching a waterproofed signal receiver. A red dot darted rapidly across the screen.
"Does this glutton really want to eat the other half of Alchemi Island too?" Dan muttered, his brow furrowed.
But questions could wait—the priority was alerting Lord Brook!
He surfaced, unsealed a waterproof case, and retrieved a special Den Den Mushi inside. Without hesitation, he dialed Brook and relayed the news: the Swallow Island Lantern Fish was en route to Alchemi Island.
From this point forward, he would stay in contact and provide real-time updates on the beast's location.
---
Upon receiving the alert, Brook and his crew sprang into action, recalibrating their course to intercept the enormous lantern fish near Alchemi Island.
"Yohoho~ Is this glowing idiot coming back to see if there's any pure gold left to snack on?" Brook chuckled darkly. "A century ago, it swallowed half the island, drawn in by pure gold light—but none of it digested."
That's because the real treasure—Olga and her mother's pure gold ring—remained intact. The creature had gorged itself in vain. And now, realizing its lantern hadn't absorbed any glow, it returned time and again to inspect the remaining half of Alchemi Island, searching for more clues.
The lantern fish's sensitivity to pure gold was legendary. Even the faint shimmer from Olga's ring could draw it from leagues away. A century earlier, a fist-sized lump of pure gold in Mischina Assie's hand had sent it into a frenzy, leading to its first destructive feast on Alchemi.
Ever since, it returned every few decades, chasing a treasure that might reignite its fading lantern.
Brook's flying fleet rerouted to Alchemi Island to lie in wait. This time, the Hell Pirates weren't letting it escape.
"Shiki, prep a few more floating islands. We need to block every escape route. Redfield and Linlin need time to deliver the knockout blow!"
Brook's expression was grim. The creature's size made him unsure whether even the combined electric assault of two future emperors could subdue it. If it came down to it, they needed Golden Lion Shiki's full support.
"Don't worry, Brother Brook," Shiki laughed, his blond mane whipping in the wind. "Give me a few minutes and I'll drop enough rock to build a continent! I won't let it flee."
Shiki, driven by his own lust for pure gold, was unusually motivated—fatigue be damned.
Meanwhile, Redfield had begun deploying thick smog from the golden battleship, cloaking the entire sea around Alchemi in a murky haze. Thunder rumbled above.
"Thundercloud's prepped!" Redfield's voice crackled through the Den Den Mushi. "Linlin and I are ready to strike harder than ever."
"Don't unleash too early," Brook warned. "Scare it, and it won't show."
This had to be perfect. The crew had worked relentlessly to lure the creature here. The hospitable Hell Pirates were about to host a very special guest.
---
The lantern fish returned as it always did—drawn by instinct, memory, and greed. To it, Alchemi Island was a lingering enigma. Its massive lantern dimmed with time, desperate to glow once more.
Pure gold—its key to survival, hunting, and reproduction—was a craving buried deep in its soul. It had grown massive off the first bite. Now, it hoped to find more.
But today's weather was strange. Thunder crackled and lightning danced. Still, it surfaced briefly to inspect the familiar coastline, nostrils flaring. It even recognized its own ancient tooth marks etched into the rock.
No gold. Again.
Disappointed, the beast began to turn back toward the deep—when the storm struck.
A blinding orb of lightning crashed onto its head. The sea exploded in white light. The beast wailed in shock and agony. Before it could recover, another bolt struck. And another.
It panicked, flailing toward the ocean floor—only to feel something worse.
Crack!
Space itself seemed to tear. Its body seized up as it felt its limbs pulled, stretched—dissected.
Then—BOOM!
Five waves of powerful Conqueror's Haki crashed into its mind like tidal waves.
'Humans… they're hunting me!!'
Fury flared in its heart. For a being with centuries of life behind it, its intelligence rivaled any human. This ambush was an unforgivable insult.
It thrashed violently, the ocean surging with miniature tsunamis.
"I swear—I'll devour every last one of your puny islands!" it bellowed in a deep, guttural voice heard even through the sea.
Still, its injuries were grave. It had to flee. Survival over vengeance.
But just as it turned, giant stone islands began to fall from the sky, crashing into its path. One slammed directly onto its back.
"Trapping me like bait?! These... these foods dare surround me?!"
The lantern fish's rage boiled over. It opened its maw, attempting to swallow a nearby island in blind fury.
But it was slow—its body was stiff, paralyzed by lightning and suppressive Haki. The chaos overwhelmed even its ancient mind.
Then came the final blow.
"Now that you're here… don't think you can leave!"
Brook's voice echoed coldly from above.
"Soul Slash!!"
A swirling army of ghostly soldiers and spectral beasts surged behind him, merging into a single terrifying force. Brook slashed down, unleashing the ultimate spirit attack he had stored for this very moment.
The lantern fish roared in agony, a psychic scream tearing through the sea as the Soul-Slashing carved through its mind.
Its vision blurred. Pain. Darkness. Silence.
Its massive body crashed into the ocean, still and defeated.
---
"If a creature like this could escape the kill zone prepared by one of the New World's dominant pirate crews… then any beast could rule the seas," Brook said softly, his voice a mix of awe and grim satisfaction.
At last, the legendary lantern fish—hunter of islands and devourer of legends—had been brought down.
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