The sudden arrival of two figures halted Brook's execution in its tracks. His Shichiseiken blade, poised for action, was forcibly sheathed, nearly giving him an internal injury from the effort.
On second thought, maybe Saracha's soul and his Corrupt-Corrupt Fruit weren't needed right now. Keeping him alive for a bit, like tending a garden before the harvest, might not be a bad idea.
"Alright, alright, Linlin, hold off! Just take a little for now—save the rest for later. Let Crocus make use of this guy first!"
Brook cautioned Charlotte Linlin, who was aggressively siphoning Saracha's soul.
"Don't kill him!"
Saracha, a Conqueror's Haki wielder, wasn't fazed by Linlin's intimidation. Without fear, his soul wasn't so easily extracted.
"Hmph! I'll let him off this time, but next time, I'll show him what real fear feels like!"
Linlin, having barely snagged any soul lifespan, huffed in frustration. Crocus, grinning with excitement, dragged Saracha away at top speed.
A specimen of this caliber was rare—stronger even than Shirokiri! Crocus's experiments were about to level up. With Saracha as material, he could develop an even higher-grade Blood Crystal Dandelion!
"Brook, you bastard! Using me as a lab rat? Let me go! I'll join you, swear loyalty, whatever you want!"
Saracha's shouts echoed as Crocus hauled him out of the massive laboratory, heading to his medical research room. There, alongside his assistant, Tia, they'd dissect this prime specimen.
...
"Brook, when are we heading to Elbaf? The territories are mostly under control now, and Totto Land's up and running! Whole Cake Island's buzzing—I love it!"
Linlin clung to Brook, beaming. The little life growing in her belly was thriving, soon to join the world.
"Soon, Linlin. Let's wait until our kid's born. For now, we deal with Shirokiri and his Vesper remnants!"
Brook's voice held a spark of anticipation. He hadn't settled on a name for their child yet—or even thought about what Devil Fruit they might inherit.
Shirokiri's partner, Amber, had already given birth to a boy, named Depo by Brook himself. Lately, Shirokiri and Salem had been stirring up trouble, keeping Redfield and Golden Lion Shiki busy chasing them down.
The duo always slipped away. Shirokiri even tried sneaking onto Elan Island once, nearly getting nabbed by Redfield, but he escaped again.
Brook had publicly offered Shirokiri's Vesper remnants a chance to join as an allied crew, like the Edward Pirates. No response came, but Shirokiri didn't dare badmouth Brook either—not with his son in Brook's hands.
"Alright, Brook, have you picked a name for our kid yet?"
Linlin was already counting down to her due date. She'd gotten pregnant on her birthday, February 15, so the baby was due around December 12—her own estimate. If the kid didn't arrive on time, she'd make it happen. She wanted to hit Elbaf's Winter Solstice Festival on December 22, when the giant village would be packed and lively, perfect for clearing up old misunderstandings with the giants.
If Brook knew her plan, he'd probably chew her out. Forcing their kid's birth for a festival? Some things had to happen naturally!
Even if they couldn't patch things up with the giants, Brook wasn't worried. He had plenty of ways to make inroads into Elbaf.
...
Over the past two years, Brook's intel revealed the giants weren't as united as they seemed. Factions split them: the Peace Navy, the Free Pirates, radical Reformists, and even ambitious supernovas eyeing the Giant King's throne.
With this knowledge, Brook had a rough plan. Where there was desire, there were giants to sway. Outsmarting these straightforward warriors would be child's play.
Even the human trafficker Carmel had wormed her way into Elbaf decades ago with a sob-story rescue of condemned giants, founding the House of Lambs. If not for Linlin's actions, they'd still be there. Brook had countless tricks up his sleeve to infiltrate Elbaf, especially with his pawns, Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy, already in place.
"Yohohoho! So, have you thought of any names?"
Brook deftly kicked the question back to Linlin. He genuinely hadn't decided whether to stick with traditional names or try something new.
"Heehee! Now that we're married, shouldn't I take your surname, Brook? But you've ditched your surname—how boring!"
"Let's use your name as the surname for our kid. Should I become Brook Linlin? Oh, and I saw all these tasty desserts and came up with names like Katakuri, Smoothie, and Cracker. What do you think?"
Linlin lit up, clearly having put thought into this. Most of her names were spins on foods and sweets, which made Brook sweat. Typical Linlin—her mind never strayed far from dessert.
Still, names just had to sound good, right? If you got serious about it, Patrick Redfield would be "Redfield"; Whitebeard Edward Newgate would be "Newgate"; Sand Crocodile would be "Sir Crocodile."
Brook chuckled inwardly. Katakuri? A riff on koshian starch for mochi. Linlin's obsession with sweets was relentless.
"Not bad, Linlin—great job! Keep brainstorming names. I'm heading to the Tree of Knowledge to dig up some inspiration, see if I can come up with something as awesome as yours!"
Brook didn't hold back on the praise. He also wanted to check the translation of Roger's historical text. If it held clues about Uranus, he'd hit the jackpot!
With intel on Uranus, Pluton, and Poseidon, Brook's dreams were within reach. A historical text prized by Emperor Ingram couldn't be ordinary!
"I'm coming too! I haven't finished that rare species book. Oh, those mythical beast names are so cool—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Phoenix! What do you think, Brook?"
Linlin tagged along like an excited shadow, riding Zeus the thundercloud with Brook toward the Tree of Knowledge, her voice brimming with enthusiasm.
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg