Brook stared at the two bawling kids, his patience wearing thin. Just because they were Nico Robin's parents didn't mean he'd go easy on them… well, he wouldn't hit them, but still!
"Enough! Quiet down!"
A wisp of Brook's power leaked out, and the sobbing children froze like ducks with their necks wrung, staring at him in wide-eyed terror.
Kong was right—deal with annoying flies by yanking out their guts and strangling them with their own intestines! Metaphorically, of course.
"All of you, get ready," Brook announced to the gathered scholars. "Ohara, the Island of Scholars, is moving to the New World! Behave yourselves, and your lives won't change. Keep researching, keep studying—just don't cause trouble.
With a flourish, Brook thawed Nico Barobi and Charles Pero from their icy prison, tossing the forbidden ancient texts back to Barobi. Then, whistling a jaunty tune, he led his crew into the Tree of Knowledge for a tour.
...
Meanwhile, Golden Lion Shiki was slaving away alone, his Float-Float Fruit powers enveloping and permeating the entire island of Ohara.
Talk about the poster child for "Why am I the only one working here?!"
Brook made a mental note to heap some praise on Shiki. After all, his Float-Float Fruit was the linchpin of nearly all Brook's grand plans—slightly more critical than Linlin's or Newgate's, whose Quake-Quake Fruit was mostly good for smashing things.
Maybe it was time to stroke Shiki's ego with a fancy title? Something like Outstanding Officer, Master of Operations, Elite Trailblazer, Team Core, Sales Champion, Service Star, or Technical Wizard.
Surely one of those would tickle Shiki's fancy. Brook was already scheming to have Vegapunk whip up some engraved trophies and a few shiny banners to let Shiki bask in the spotlight.
This way, Brook could keep dangling carrots in front of his officers and new affiliate crews, boosting team cohesion and loyalty. The Hell Pirates would become an unbreakable fortress!
Ex-existence is justified by results!
Brook figured he could borrow a page from his past life's playbook—those cheesy corporate motivational tricks. Handing out cash and training manuals got old fast. Time to stoke their pride and sense of purpose!
Of course, raw strength was the real key. Brook's power kept everyone in line, but a little game of "honor and glory" couldn't hurt.
With enough clout, Brook could even set the rules of the pirate world, manipulating fame-hungry big shots. With Mortomas' World Economic News Agency in his pocket, he could create a pirate ranking system, like some underworld gossip list.
Picture it: a Pirate Power List. Beat the Navy's Fleet Admiral? You're a Pirate Emperor. Fight a Fleet Admiral to a draw or take down an Admiral? Pirate Sovereign. Match an Admiral or wipe out a few Vice Admirals? Pirate King.
It'd be a direct shot at the Navy's pride! But this was a long-term play—something to pull out when the World Government and Navy came knocking with a Buster Call.
The title of Pirate King didn't exist yet; Roger hadn't even reached Laugh Tale. Still, Brook couldn't shake the feeling that Pirate King sounded less grand than Pirate Emperor. His ranking system would be pure strength, unlike the Navy's bounties, which factored in destruction and civilian casualties.
...
Brook's thoughts spiraled into wild, impractical territory. Shaking off the daydreams, he stepped inside the Tree of Knowledge.
The interior was breathtaking. The tree's walls were carved into towering bookshelves, crammed with countless volumes. This was just the first room on the first floor—imagine the sheer number of books in the whole tree!
In the center, Brook spotted a globe. Wait, what? The One Piece world followed a geocentric model?
The globe showed a massive blue planet at the center, orbited by seven smaller celestial bodies. Two tiny satellites circled the main planet—one must be the moon of the One Piece world.
Had Ohara's scholars really mapped this out? Brook's mind reeled at the tech tree of this world. Wooden sailing warships powered by wind, yet they had electric lights, refrigerators, laser robots, and cyborgs. Talk about a chaotic tech progression!
Then again, Brook himself had inherited Moon People tech to build the Golden Ark, so maybe it wasn't that surprising.
Whitebeard Newgate, bored by books, wandered back outside. Redfield, however, was hooked, poring over ancient texts. He had a personal vendetta against the Celestial Dragons and was eager to crack the secrets of the Void Century.
Brook grabbed a nearby scholar. "Does the Tree of Knowledge have any books on martial arts training?"
The scholar shook his head. At best, they had basic fitness guides—nothing on advanced techniques like Haki or inherited swordsmanship. The World Government and major powers would never let such knowledge be printed and stored here.
Brook chuckled, recalling a One Piece fanfic from his past life where the protagonist found Haki manuals in the Tree of Knowledge. Ridiculous! If that were true, these scholars would've studied it, turned into superhuman warriors, and avoided getting wiped out on their expeditions.
The last voyage was a disaster—33 archaeologists dead, with only Olvia surviving thanks to Jaguar D. Saul's mercy.
The other scholars—experts in unrelated fields—got dragged into the mess by those reckless archaeologists. It was like a university shutting down because one department screwed up, leaving every other student without a degree.
Most of Ohara's scholars probably didn't even know the archaeologists were dabbling in forbidden history. Some world-renowned academics, visiting for a seminar, got caught in the crossfire of a Buster Call, dying without a clue why.
Sure, you could blame the brutal Navy and World Government. Those archaeologists who, having no power, study forbidden texts. If they don't die, who will?
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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg