Vice Admiral Sakazuki's eyes stayed locked on the Peace Dove News.
The headline and the photo were impossible to ignore. The World Government had announced a brand new Admiral candidate, and the paper even displayed his Devil Fruit ability.
A Logia.
And not just any Logia, one that was advertised as having top tier offensive power.
In the Hell Guild, most of Brook's executives were already terrifying Devil Fruit users.
Sakazuki understood that reality better than anyone.
In his eyes, the reason Borsalino and Kuzan could stand above him and sit in the Admiral's chair was simple. They had been born lucky enough to eat monsters like the Glint Glint Fruit.
If he could obtain a top level Logia himself, his strength would climb rapidly. He would reach that oppressive level reserved for high tier Admirals.
"It would be perfect if I could get that ability…"
He stared at the candidate's photo like he was trying to burn it into memory.
For a fleeting moment, an absurd thought surfaced.
Could he ask Brook for help?
Could Brook hunt that Admiral candidate down and hand the power over to him?
The next second, Sakazuki dismissed it.
Even if Brook killed the man and seized the Devil Fruit ability, why would he gift something that precious to a former World Government marine?
Sakazuki clicked his tongue and tossed the newspaper onto his desk. He walked to the window and stared out at the sea, expression rigid.
He did not even like smoking, but he lit a cigar anyway, forcing the bitter smoke into his lungs just to drown his own agitation.
The paper lay open behind him.
The candidate's name was printed clearly.
Chiyan Magma.
A man with the Magma Magma Fruit.
And in the article, he publicly declared that he would retake the West Blue and the North Blue for the World Government.
Sakazuki's gaze sharpened.
Then he saw it.
A black dot above the sea, growing larger by the breath.
Observation Haki answered before his eyes did.
Sakazuki already knew who it was.
"He came to the North Blue…"
His mood twisted into something complicated.
He had never fought Brook. He had been defeated by the Second Generation of Hell, and that alone told him the gap. Maybe he was not even qualified to stand in Brook's way.
A memory surfaced from childhood, buried but still sharp.
Back when he was fighting pirates in the dirt and blood, he had once noticed someone searching for him under Brook's orders. He had changed his name and slipped away.
If Brook had found him back then and taken him in, would he be an Admiral now?
Would he have a Logia like Borsalino and Kuzan?
Sakazuki closed his fist, crushed the thought, and stubbed the cigar out.
Whatever resentment he carried, whatever regret he had, it did not matter.
A ruler had arrived.
He turned and went to receive him.
The massive Quetzalcoatl descended into the North Blue Headquarters of the new navy on Northmarn Island, and the base erupted into a commotion.
"It's Brook sama's Quetzalcoatl!"
"I heard Quetzalcoatl is Brook sama's sacred weapon, the Seven Star Demon Sword!"
"Vegapunk sama from the Hell Guild can make weapons eat Zoan fruits!"
"They have those in the New World headquarters too!"
"I saw it once, Vice Admiral Schwarzenegger's got a Gatling gun. They say it can blow a warship apart!"
Voices overlapped, excitement and fear mixing together, but the respect was unmistakable.
Some of these soldiers had defected from the World Government navy and joined the Universal Government's new navy. At first, they came for survival, for wages, for stability.
Over time, the welfare and the new concept of equality had conquered them more completely than any sword ever could.
They were no longer defectors.
They were new navy.
At the head of the reception line, Sakazuki stood straight.
His voice came out stiff and formal.
"North Blue Headquarters Base Chief Sakazuki welcomes Lord Brook to our headquarters."
Brook stepped down, calm as if he had arrived at his own home.
He glanced at Sakazuki, then nodded with clear approval.
"Sakazuki. Good. You've gotten stronger."
Sakazuki's expression did not change, but his shoulders tightened slightly.
"When Admiral Tsuru retires, you'll be next in line for Admiral," Brook continued, tone casual but certain.
In the original timeline, Sakazuki would have been the most ruthless monster in the navy.
Here, he was still behind Borsalino and Kuzan, and the Magma Magma Fruit was not even in his hands.
Brook did have a recently obtained Logia, the Forest Forest Fruit taken from Aramaki.
But whether that suited Sakazuki was another matter.
"Lord Brook, thank you," Sakazuki replied, rigid as stone, then led Brook into the office without wasting words.
Mihawk followed behind, eyes narrowing beneath his mask.
The sword on Sakazuki's back, the stance, the weight in his presence.
This man was a terrifying mix of swordsman and close quarters fighter.
Belo Betty and Smoker trailed along too, looking around curiously.
Up to now, they still did not know Brook's true identity.
Seeing the officers' reverence, they assumed Brook was some high ranking figure within the new navy. Smoker even started thinking that, if he played his cards right, he could join through Brook's connections.
Then again, Brook had claimed to be Dragon's master.
And when Brook collected Devil Fruits from the Poker Army, he looked exactly like a pirate demanding tribute.
The more the two kids watched, the more confused they became.
Brook walked into the office and sat directly in Sakazuki's main seat.
Sakazuki did not object. He simply stood straight, silent, letting the ruler do as he pleased.
For a moment, even Brook seemed unsure what to say.
Then his eyes drifted to the newspaper on the desk.
The Peace Dove News.
He picked it up and read the front page.
And his expression shifted.
So the World Government's new Admiral candidate was a Magma Magma Fruit user.
Antonio and Moore Thomas had not reported it immediately. Brook had moved too fast, and the information had arrived a step late.
Brook set the paper down slowly, then looked up at Sakazuki.
A meaningful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He lifted the newspaper again, tapping the photo of Chiyan Magma with one finger.
"Sakazuki," Brook said lightly, almost like he was asking about the weather. "Want a Devil Fruit?"
The room fell silent.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed, then widened a fraction.
For the first time since Brook arrived, his expression cracked.
He froze in place, as if he had been struck.
"Just say the word," Brook continued, voice calm, almost amused. "We'll go take that Magma Magma Fruit back together."
Sakazuki stared at him, unable to respond for a heartbeat.
---------------
Brook's sudden question made Sakazuki's heartbeat spike for an instant, but he forced it back down at once.
He straightened his back and answered in a clipped voice.
"At your command, sir."
Even so, Sakazuki still felt uneasy. He could not fully believe Brook would personally hunt down a World Government Admiral candidate and then hand over a precious Logia like the Magma Magma Fruit.
Maybe it was just Brook's joke.
Or maybe it was a tempting bait, a sweet promise used to bind hearts.
After all, plenty of Brook's descendants and students still had no Devil Fruit at all. If the Magma Magma Fruit truly carried unrivaled offensive power, why would it ever fall to him, an outsider, a former World Government dog who had defected?
Brook watched his face and smiled faintly.
"You don't believe me."
Brook leaned back, tone casual, but his words were sharp and deliberate.
"Fine. Then listen carefully."
"When the next war with the World Government comes, we'll plan ahead. We'll find a chance to hunt down this 'Magma User.' If we succeed, the Magma Magma Fruit is yours, and I'll promote you to Admiral candidate."
Brook raised a finger.
"But there's a condition."
"I want you to kill him with your own hands. Alone. That's your proof."
"And I'll do my best to create a one on one battlefield for you. No interference, not from them, not from us. Even my own people will be kept out."
Brook's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Because once word spreads, even my students will have their eyes on a top tier power like the Magma Magma Fruit."
His meaning was clear.
Brook was giving Sakazuki a road straight into the inner core of the Universal Government, but only if Sakazuki proved he could walk it on his own strength.
And Brook was not bluffing.
If Sakazuki disappointed him, Brook would simply take the Magma power and give it to someone else.
Sakazuki's chest tightened. Then he exhaled slowly.
The doubt in his eyes finally loosened.
"Thank you for your guidance, sir."
His voice was steady now.
"I only need a little support. I will find a way to kill Chiyan Magma myself."
Sakazuki was not some blunt weapon that only knew how to swing.
His brutality came with strategy, and his loyalty, whether to old orders or new ideals, had always been backed by political instinct.
He knew exactly what this opportunity meant.
If he took the Magma Magma Fruit and wore the Akainu name again, he would become a living thorn in the side of Mary Geoise and Marineford. The World Government would never forgive that kind of humiliation.
And that was precisely why he could become a slaughtering blade in the final war.
Brook's grin widened.
"Yohoho. So you already have an idea."
He tapped the desk lightly, clearly amused.
"Say it. How do you want to handle this new Admiral candidate, and what do you need from me?"
Brook liked this kind of talent.
He preferred to control the direction of the storm, then let capable people decide how to steer their ships through it.
Antonio had taken years to reach the level of strategic chief and intelligence minister. Stussy was treasured because she could solve problems without being carried, and without making noise.
If Sakazuki could build a clean hunting plan by himself, Brook had no issue spending effort to make it real.
Sakazuki's eyes hardened. He spoke without hesitation.
"This Chiyan Magma is focused on the West Blue and North Blue."
He pointed at the newspaper on the table.
"If you expose the Hell Guild's main forces, make them appear publicly in the New World, the World Government will be forced to react."
He paused, measuring Brook's expression.
"If they believe your attention is fully locked in the New World, the Admiral candidate will likely move to strike the West Blue or North Blue, looking for easy political credit."
Sakazuki's voice lowered, precise and cold.
"When he moves, we isolate him."
"We draw him into a battlefield we control, remove his reinforcements, and make it a duel."
He looked straight at Brook.
"For this plan to work, I need cooperation at the highest level. The Universal Government, the Hell Guild, the intelligence network, the logistics. I can't force that kind of coordination."
"But you can."
Sakazuki had considered the dangerous option already. If he had no backing, he would have eventually slipped to the Grand Line alone and hunted the man himself, risking everything on one clean kill.
Brook's visit changed the equation.
It made a safer, cleaner plan possible.
Before Sakazuki could refine the details further, Brook suddenly laughed, loud and delighted.
"Yohohoho!"
"Expose the main force, huh?"
Brook leaned forward, eyes glinting as if he had just found a new toy.
"Then I'll do it properly."
"I'll host a World Expo."
Sakazuki's gaze sharpened.
Brook spoke like he was announcing a festival, not a global trap.
"A grand event. Auctions, martial arts tournaments, trade fairs, everything."
He raised a hand, as if already seeing the crowd.
"And I'll put a pure gold ring on the table as a prize."
His smile widened.
"I'll lure every hidden monster, every old power with deep roots, every truly wealthy force that thinks it can stay invisible."
He laughed again, more dangerous this time.
"Three or four rings, even."
Sakazuki's eyes widened.
This was not a simple decoy.
This was Brook dragging the whole world into the light by the throat.
Brook continued, voice bright, almost playful.
"The strongest in the tournament gets a pure gold ring."
"At the auction, only top tier Devil Fruits can be used to bid for a ring."
"And whichever government or faction makes the biggest deal volume across the Expo will earn a ring as well."
He tapped the desk once, finalizing it like a decree.
"The theme will be, 'One World, Suspension of Conflict, Sharing Peace.'"
Brook's grin carried a clear edge.
He even wanted to draw in nobles and wealthy people from the South Blue and East Blue. Immortality was a bait no one could resist.
Some old forces might even be sitting on rare Devil Fruits, hidden away like family relics.
Sakazuki stared at him, silent.
He had imagined gathering the Hell Guild's elites on a few New World islands to bait the World Government.
Brook's first move was far larger.
A World Expo that would shake the seas.
And Sakazuki could already tell.
Brook was not only hunting Chiyan Magma.
He was planning to harvest the world.