When Whitebeard Newgate saw Golden Lion Shiki clutching his bounty poster with a suspicious gleam in his eye, how could he not guess what the old lion was thinking? So he can't beat me, but now he wants to beat up my Leaf Man version instead?
"Oi~ Lily Carnation is one of us now!" Brook interjected with a sharp grin, stepping between Shiki and Viscount Flower. "How can we let you use her ability for such ridiculous things? Put those bounty posters down—yes, now! Can't you see she's shaking?!"
Brook patted Viscount Flower on the back and gently pulled him over. "Come, Lily. From now on, you're following me. I'll help you find a proper host—someone elegant, maybe even pretty. All you have to do is stick with us and grow strong!"
He turned and shot a look at Shakky. As captain, it's my job to protect the crew. Not hand them over to greedy capitalists to be exploited like vending machines. At most, he'd have Lily Carnation transform into a few Rems, Hatsune Mikus, Konosubas, or Boa Hancocks... to do some harmless housekeeping.
After all, even a captain needed a little fantasy comfort in his sea-salted bedroom. The Grand Line was cruel—sometimes a man needed color and warmth in his life.
"I, navigator Shakky, object! I strongly condemn Captain Brook's monopolistic behavior!" she announced, raising a hand in exaggerated protest. "This will discourage innovation and creativity! This could damage the entire future of the Hell Pirates!"
Her declaration was instantly seconded by Stussy, now a budding capitalist in her own right. With her Pleasure Street Project underway, she couldn't afford to lose access to Lily Carnation's cloning ability.
Seeing both her sisters-in-schemes rise up, Charlotte Linlin raised her hand too—more out of instinct than understanding. "I also think the little flower is fun. Let's squeeze it more!"
Golden Lion Shiki agreed with a shrug. With Shakky's business model, he could pay to punch a Newgate Leaf Man. But with Brook in control, he might not even get the chance.
"The objection is invalid!" Brook declared flatly. "Lily's ability is hers to use as she pleases. Your so-called patent is officially rejected. From now on, if you want her help, you'll have to earn it."
With one sentence, Brook destroyed Shakky's dreams of market monopoly. The room shifted. Stussy and Skye instantly abandoned their partnership with the would-be monopolist, realigning themselves with the captain.
"That's enough chit-chat. Shiki, get this island floating. Most of Lily's root power is embedded in the terrain."
"Brother Brook, it's already afternoon," Shiki groaned. "Let's talk tonight, alright? We'll fly the island tomorrow."
He was stalling. Brook could tell. Shiki clearly wanted to deal with the 'Big Brother Sound Shell' issue before doing any more heavy lifting. His pride couldn't take another day of being mocked.
"Alright," Brook said, relenting. "Everyone gets a day off. Let's relax, bake some bread, and throw a party!"
The Hell Pirates immediately launched into full festival mode. Under Shakky's coercion and incentives, Lily Carnation created over a dozen Leaf Men from various bounty posters, including the infamous Overlords—Rocks D. Gibeck and Diger Sparrow—and even installed dancing protocols into them.
The result?
A bizarre, glorious scene unfolded.
A troupe of pirate Leaf Men, including Rocks and Diger, busting out choreographed dance moves while the crew laughed, sang, and drank. Shakky almost had Antonio take a snapshot and send it to Morgans for the front page of the morning paper—but thought better of it. Publishing something like this could offend too many real pirates.
Of course, the night wouldn't be complete without a beating contest.
When facing the real Rocks and Diger, no one dared raise a hand. But with the Leaf Men?
Everyone got in line.
By the end of the night, Golden Lion Shiki finally stepped into Brook's captain's quarters. No one knew what was said between the two, but come morning...
Every crew member's Collector's Edition Big Brother Sound Shell was gone. Confiscated. Silenced forever.
And Golden Lion Shiki?
He stood at the edge of the newly floating Secret Island, face glowing with purpose and passion.
Brook truly is a captain for the people! He listens, understands, and supports his crew!
From that day forward, Shiki became the most enthusiastic member of the Hell Pirates. He was loyal, he was loud, and he declared himself a Priority Cadre. He would never betray Captain Brook. Not even for all the Float-Float Fruit's treasures.
Seeing Shiki suddenly working so hard, Redfield and Newgate started to feel uneasy.
Their Devil Fruits weren't as "strategically convenient" as the Float-Float Fruit, so they'd have to keep pushing their own combat capabilities to remain relevant.
If Shiki can float entire islands for the crew... then we'll protect those islands with overwhelming force!
Brook had once said: Every crew member has different strengths. You don't have to compare—just develop your unique talents.
Now, with both Secret Island and Island Melvi ( the one where the winged people lived) rising into the skies and heading back toward the New World, Brook noticed something alarming.
The crew was… rolling up.
Training intensity had skyrocketed. Everyone was pushing themselves harder than ever.
Even the top cadres are starting to compete... Damn, I have to roll up too! I can't let them outpace me!
Brook's Revive-Revive Fruit had been developed to an extremely high level. The ghost energy and underworld power he now controlled were nearly indistinguishable from that of true hell.
He could feel it.
A whisper from beyond. He was on the verge of awakening.
His next step wasn't just mastery—it was transcendence.
He envisioned it: the awakening of the Fruit. A personal realm, a pocket hell that orbited him like a domain. Any soul not killed by his own hand could still be claimed—dragged into his private Underworld Hell, enslaved or devoured.
He was, piece by piece, stealing the authority of hell itself.
Once awakened, perhaps every soul within ten meters... then a hundred... maybe even a thousand... would fall under his dominion.
And with that, his future path became clear.
Commander of Ghost Soldiers. General of Specters. Emperor of the Underworld.
One day, his body would become a gate to hell itself.
And on that day—
Brook would no longer just be captain of the Hell Pirates.
He would become God of Death.
--------------------------
High above the Grand Line, a new island drifted through the sky—a gourd-shaped landmass formed by the temporary merging of Melvi Island and Secret Island, thanks to the power of the Float-Float Fruit wielded by Golden Lion Shiki.
"Hahaha~! Another glorious day!" Shiki laughed, twirling midair. "Lily! Come on, give me another Rocks Leaf Man! I can't sleep right if I don't smash one every day!"
Lily Carnation, blooming from Viscount Flower's shoulder, blinked silently in response, her petals drooping as if exhausted.
"Oi! Don't look at me with those deadpan eyes! I said I'd pay you back!" Shiki insisted. "I'll go capture prisoners—or even Sea Kings—to refill your energy! I, Shiki the Golden Lion, am a loyal cadre of the Hell Pirates! I don't freeload! I repay my debts!"
With that, he blasted off into the sky, golden mane fluttering in the wind. Ever since the 'Big Brother Sound Shell incident had been buried, Shiki felt lighter—especially since no one dared bring up Newgate around him anymore. It felt good. After all, when Brook spoke, even Shiki listened.
Moments later, Lily whipped up another Rocks Leaf Man for Shiki to abuse, and true to form, after only a few hits—smash!
"Cool!" Shiki howled in joy as the Leaf Man burst apart.
Lily scribbled something into her tiny notebook with a root. Shiki now owes the energy of 10 Leaf Men. With a 9.8% discount, that equals repayment through 98 pirates.
Hiruba's "economic consultant," Shakky, had patiently taught Lily this "energy accounting" system, and she took to it with surprising enthusiasm. In just a few days, Shiki had smashed Leaf Men three times a day like clockwork—morning, noon, and night—earning Lily the equivalent of nearly 90 pirates in credit. It was a goldmine.
(TL: Wtf even she knows business now)
Before joining the Hell Pirates, Lily had to wait a whole month just to catch a pirate ship passing through Carnival Island. Now? She had customers lined up.
Later that morning, sniper Hiruba strolled past Lily Carnation with a nonchalant whistle.
"Lily. Usual place," he whispered.
Then he disappeared into the hallway.
Ah yes—morning exercise. A healthy start for a young man's day.
"Miss Bakkin, request processed. HIruba's room: complete."
Lily jotted the request into her notebook. He owed four Leaf Men. With a 9.9% discount, that came out to 39.6 pirates. According to Shakky, that rounded up to 40… which in Lily's logic, conveniently rounded to 50. A nice even number!
She then flipped back to Shiki's tab. 98 pirates owed? Let's just round it up to 100.
(TL: Bro hahaha)
Meanwhile, Brook, cuddled peacefully in bed with Stussy, had no idea a sentient flower was tracking the crew's debt like a mini-capitalist tax collector. All he knew was—Stussy was soft, and life was good.
---
The Hell Pirates moved openly and boldly across the Grand Line. They often traveled via the Calm Belt, eluding detection until it was too late. By the time the Navy noticed, the floating islands were already nearing the Red Line, heading back to the New World.
"Damn it!" a Vice Admiral growled during an emergency Navy strategy meeting. "The Hell Pirates are back! Stealing another island—who knows which one this time! We haven't even identified the last island they took!"
"They already transported Thunder God Island and Mist Island, placing them near Doragonzo Island," another officer added. "It's obvious now—they're building something."
"A stronghold?" a Marine Commodore asked. "Or an island fortress?"
"More like an empire," said Chief of Staff Weimark, who had been quietly analyzing maps. "From the locations of Thunder God Island and Mist Island, it looks like they're forming a protective ring. Maybe ten or more islands will encircle Doragonzo Island."
"Are you saying they're… building a pirate nation?"
"It's possible," Weimark replied gravely. "They've even gone back to the West Blue to seize O'Hara, and moved Balkimoa, the island of science. This isn't normal pirate behavior."
Fleet Admiral Kukulkan sighed. "Brook isn't thinking like a pirate anymore. He's thinking like a king."
The admiral glanced at the intel files. The Hell Pirates had five known Conqueror's Haki users. Their devil fruit arsenal was outrageous: the Float-Float Fruit, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, and Brook's own terrifying Revive-Revive Fruit.
Their crew strength was so overwhelming, no single admiral could face them alone.
"We've confirmed a Sky Island above Doragonzo. That's their main base," Weimark added. "But even if we know where it is—what do we do?"
"Send an admiral?" someone muttered.
"Against all that firepower? That's suicide."
The Grand Line member nations were already in panic. Though many of the islands taken weren't allied with the World Government, their disappearances created global unrest. The fear was growing.
Especially in wealthy territories like:
Flevance, the White Town of the North Blue.
Notis, Bellamy's birthplace.
Saint Poplar, the medical research hub in the Grand Line.
These places were ripe targets—and everyone knew it. Rumors swirled that even Shiki had picked up new titles: Shiki the Transporter of Nations, Shiki the Island Plunderer.
The Hell Pirates were no longer a threat—they were a force of nature, surpassing even the legacy of the Rocks Pirates and Diger Pirates.
The World Government and Navy were helpless. They had no real strategy to stop Brook's floating fortress fleet. Every meeting ended in silence and frustration.
"We can't even protect the Four Seas," Fleet Admiral Kukulkan muttered bitterly. "And now they're stealing the Grand Line, one island at a time."
No one in the room dared to suggest a direct confrontation. With Brook's ever-growing power, the only outcome would be disaster.
---
As for the Hell Pirates themselves? They weren't just growing stronger. They were becoming unstoppable.
Even if Rocks and Diger joined forces, it was doubtful they could fully defeat Brook's fleet—and they might not survive the counterattack.
With Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, Newgate's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and Redfield's Thunder-Thunder Fruit, they held the destructive power of a strategic-level deterrent.
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