High above the seas, Merveille Island soared through the skies, the Golden Ark docked at the heart of the Merveille's human's village. Two juvenile trees, each towering thirty to forty meters, stood rooted in a saltwater lake on the island's eastern edge.
To the south, the Baboon Forest—home to the Human Mimickers—sprawled across the landscape. The baboon leader was locked in a heated challenge against Golden Lion Shiki, determined to master the pirate's devastating signature techniques!
Brook lounged atop his Nimbus Cloud Hera, watching the Merveille's human, who had re-evolved their flight abilities. The tribe's new leader, handpicked and named Cloud Monarch by Brook himself, was already wielding his authority. Using the IQ plants to create basic evolution serums, Cloud Monarch rallied the younger tribesmen, granting them flight-enhancing serums to solidify his power. The older leaders were gradually phased out, leaving the youth to take charge.
Brook, ensuring a steady supply of IQ plants, didn't interfere with Cloud Monarch's power grab. In fact, he was curious to see if this young leader could transform the Merveille's human into a formidable air force—a key asset for the Hell Pirates!
"Brook, these food plants are perfect for my taste!" Charlotte Linlin declared, popping a string of grape-shaped pastries into her mouth with a satisfied grin. "I'm planting these all over Whole Cake Island!"
It was her first time encountering plants that grew ready-made delicacies—a foodie's paradise! Transforming an island into a culinary wonderland could draw tourists and even attract food-loving powerhouses. It might even rival the chef's ultimate dream, All Blue, as a new haven for culinary dreamers!
"Then let's build a foodie paradise!" Brook exclaimed. "After Whole Cake Island for all races and Ohara for scholars, this'll be our third Sky City!"
Brook envisioned a network of Sky Cities, each a hub for a major industry—cuisine, housing, entertainment, research, you name it! He wanted his territory to become the world's beating heart, a beacon of progress, a true World of Nations. Anyone who set foot here would become part of its greatness!
"Sweet idea!" Linlin cheered.
"I want a Sky City for snipers and gunners!" Silva piped up, staking a claim.
"Then I'll build a shipbuilding haven in the New World!" Fishman Tom added, not to be outdone.
"Hey, Tom, stick to shipbuilding on Hell Island!" Silva shot back. "Don't hog a Sky City slot!"
If everyone started claiming Sky Cities for their own trades, it could derail Brook's grand vision—and Silva's dreams along with it.
"Fine, then I'll pitch Haredas's old man for a second Weatheria!" Shakky said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "It could be a paradise for navigators! I might even become a legend among them!"
...
As his crew tossed around ideas, Brook realized it was time to nail down the final vision for the Sky Cities. The industries that shaped the world—military tech, finance, education, transportation, agriculture—had to be the cornerstones. Only by mastering these could the Sky Cities draw talent from every corner of the globe.
With the Golden Ark, the Hell Pirates could recruit globally, pinpointing talent wherever it hid. They just needed to dodge the Navy and World Government's interference.
Suddenly, Brook had a brainstorm: two Devil Fruits perfect for a recruitment office—the Mark-Mark Fruit and the Paw-Paw Fruit. With these, they could snatch up talent from anywhere in the world, teleporting them back or even "persuading" them forcefully!
Brook even considered sending Parrot, the Castle Fruit user, to assist, backed by Mortomas's intelligence network. Any rising star hitting the headlines would find themselves in the Hell Pirates' sights.
The world's talent will be mine!
Brook thought, envisioning a grand empire rising under his command. With cutting-edge ideas and methods, he'd catch up to the World Government's 800-year legacy in record time!
...
But he was getting ahead of himself. The New World was still untamed, and Rocks stood in his way.
Brook listened to his crew's debates with a faint smile. Firearms, shipbuilding, navigation—these could all fall under a single Science City.
The real question was Shiki's limit. How many islands could his Float-Float Fruit keep aloft? If he could handle dozens, Brook might dedicate entire Sky Cities to each industry. But Shiki's life was now the linchpin of the Hell Pirates' empire.
The Sugar incident—her Toy-Toy Fruit fainting and collapsing Doflamingo's Dressrosa in a day—taught Brook a lesson. He wouldn't let a single point of failure like that threaten his plans. The number of Sky Cities had to be tightly controlled, with backup plans in case the worst happened.
If Shiki, in his reckless pride, got knocked out cold, the entire empire could come crashing down—literally! Brook needed to teach the Golden Lion some restraint, no more charging into solo duels that could doom their territory.
...
Brook began rethinking the Sky Cities' layout. Stacking them vertically was risky; a staggered, non-overlapping arrangement with the eighteen Hell Islands below was safer. Even in a worst-case scenario, the islands wouldn't smash into each other or the ones below.
And maybe Shiki needed a dedicated bodyguard. His strategic importance to the Hell Pirates outshone even Redfield or Newgate. Without him, the floating empire would be grounded.
The skies from 7,000 to 9,000 meters, lacking Skypiea's unique climate, were too cold and oxygen-poor for most islands. Perhaps a few Winter Islands, home to low-temperature, low-oxygen-adapted creatures, could work there. But for now, Shiki's survival was the key to everything.
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg