Sky Island, Ballon Island.
Brook's two youngest, Nika and Kikyo, along with Hades and Kanna, were treated like priceless treasure.
Their older brothers and sisters doted on them shamelessly, each taking a turn carrying them around, playing with them, and showing them off, until it was time to eat, then everyone suddenly remembered they were starving too.
Hades and the others were already past twenty.
Brook couldn't help thinking, should they start looking for partners soon?
How long would it take before he became a grandfather?
Then again, forcing it would only invite trouble.
Let it happen when it happens.
What mattered now was that his soul splitting experiment had finally reached a real turning point.
Hades' devil contract exchange could tug at Brook's soul, of course only when Brook wasn't actively guarding himself.
Anubis' three headed hellhound, in full beast form, possessed a middle head that could banish souls, and that ability could also peel away a sliver of Brook's spirit.
With the two of them helping day after day, Brook managed to separate himself from his original soul little by little.
For over a year, he split, reinforced his core consciousness, then split again. The process repeated endlessly.
Now, most of it had finally been separated.
The pain was so brutal it left even Brook feeling like he was being torn apart from the inside. More than once, he had to stop and rest, letting Linlin use the Soul Soul Fruit to stabilize and shield him.
With the soul split nearly complete, the next step became impossible to avoid.
He needed a strong heart.
And soon.
Before the Roger Pirates even reached the waters near Doragonzo Island, the Hell Pirates had already detected their location.
Shiki wanted to take action personally, bring Kaido and the others, and capture Roger's crew on the spot.
But once they learned the target was Doragonzo, the Hell Pirates didn't mobilize a full force.
Still, Shiki, Kaido, and Kozuki Oden went to "welcome" the Roger Pirates anyway.
If Roger's crew didn't cooperate, they would start fighting immediately.
Under the escort of a flying pirate ship and a massive blue dragon, the Roger Pirates landed on Doragonzo Island safely.
Buggy nearly died from fear on the way down.
So this was the weight of the New World's ruler.
Just three divisions of the Hell Pirates could probably crush them.
If Roger wasn't terminally ill, they would never have risked coming here.
If a fight broke out, they had no hope of winning, and no hope of escaping.
"Hahahaha! Roger, join us!"
Shiki laughed, hair floating wildly in the wind.
"The Hell Pirates have unified the New World. If you join, we'll have enough strength to declare war on the World Government today!"
"I'm sorry, Shiki. I refuse."
Roger met his eyes without flinching.
"And I don't have many days left to live. I came here to seek medical help."
That calm refusal sent a chill through Roger's crew.
They tensed instantly, watching every Hell Pirate like a blade waiting to drop.
Buggy trembled so hard his teeth almost clicked, pressing himself against Shanks like a shield.
Shiki's expression darkened.
"Are you joking?"
His voice carried menace.
"Sick? How could a monster like you be sick?"
This bastard had rejected recruitment again and again. He had taken Brook's red history text and reached the final island, then he dared to sneak out of the New World like a thief.
Did he really think the Hell Pirates had no temper?
If not for the time the Roger Pirates helped the Hell Pirates against the World Government, and if not for Newgate speaking on their behalf, Shiki would have hunted them down long ago, the same way they crushed the remnants of Rocks.
Surrender or die.
"I'm not lying."
Roger kept his tone steady.
"I'll explain everything to Captain Brook. I'm here to apologize."
He knew recruitment was unavoidable, but over the years, the Roger Pirates had sailed across the world, the Grand Line, and the New World, spreading news of the great treasure everywhere.
There was no need to fear the Hell Pirates monopolizing the red texts anymore.
"Ha! If I beat you, I can become the next Hell King!"
Oden stepped forward, eyes blazing.
Kaido's gaze was just as hot, like a beast staring at prey.
I hate these battle maniacs, Spencer cursed silently.
He had hoped for fun today, not a disaster.
A deep rumble shook the air.
"Gurarara… Roger, you finally came."
Newgate's voice rolled across the island like thunder.
He arrived in a surge of presence, cutting between Shiki and Oden before they could start something stupid.
"Brother Brook's been waiting for you to pay what you owe."
With Newgate intervening, the Roger Pirates finally made it through without blood spilling.
Brook was waiting for the secret of the final island.
And Vegapunk was waiting too, eyes shining with a different kind of hunger.
The mad genius wanted Roger's D bloodline, a fresh "seed" to attempt creating a second perfect alien.
Vegapunk's artificial Zoans had already entered small scale production, cultivated and maintained by the entire Tontatta tribe. He had even made a breakthrough in artificial Paramecia work.
All he needed was a user's bloodline factor, extract the ability, mix it with rare materials, and synthesize green blood that could grant an artificial human that Devil Fruit power.
The flaw was obvious.
This kind of green blood made awakening almost impossible.
Even so, it was still terrifying progress.
Thanks to Newgate's arrival, Roger finally stood before Brook without the world exploding.
"Roger."
Brook's voice was calm, but it carried weight.
"You disappoint me."
His Observation Haki swept Roger's body, and what he sensed made his gaze sharpen slightly. Roger, too, noticed something off about Brook.
That strange sound.
That strange feeling.
As if Brook's existence carried… more than one presence.
Roger didn't push the thought.
"Captain Brook, I'm sorry."
He bowed his head just enough to show respect.
"This time, I'm handing over everything I copied from the final island. And all the rubbings of the historical texts I collected over the years."
He didn't explain why he ran from the final island, or why he vanished from the last battle against the World Government.
He simply offered what he owed.
Brook's eyes narrowed.
"I don't care about your history right now."
His tone turned colder.
"You know so much. So why would you rather trust empty prophecies than trust your own strength?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Why refuse to follow me, when together we could finish this?"
If Roger lacked allies and couldn't fight the World Government, then the Great Pirate Era would begin as a desperate gamble.
But now, the Hell Pirates were already close to the World Government's level.
If the Roger Pirates joined too, the high end combat power would finally be enough.
Roger didn't answer.
Instead, he shifted the blade away from his throat.
"I'm terminally ill. I don't have much time left."
His voice stayed steady, but the truth was sharp.
"I came to ask for your help. Please let Mr. Crocus treat me."
His meaning was obvious.
Cure him first.
Then talk about recruitment.
--------------
Brook studied Roger in silence, weighing his options.
He could simply force the Roger Pirates into submission. He could even threaten Roger until the whole crew bowed their heads and worked for him. But coercion always left a hidden knife behind, and one day that knife might turn toward his throat.
He could also choose the cleanest path.
Kill them.
Take Roger's heart, or Rayleigh's.
Yet before he decided anything, he needed Crocus to examine Roger properly.
Only then would he know what kind of "value" he was dealing with.
"Roger, these are your rewards for the last red history text."
Brook gestured, and Tianmulan stepped forward to collect every rubbing and copy Roger offered. Better than nothing. Brook wanted to check whether those papers held any clue to Imu's weaknesses, or any backup Joyboy might have left behind.
Brook's gaze sharpened.
"But if you want me to save your life, I'll need more than that."
Roger smiled, relaxed as ever, like this was a casual trade at a dockside stall.
"Why not let Mr. Crocus look first? If I can't be saved, there's no point wasting time. If I can be saved, I'll give you a reward you'll be satisfied with."
"A satisfying reward?"
Brook's tone stayed flat.
"I asked you to join the Hell Pirates. How about that?"
At Brook's signal, Crocus stepped forward immediately, already reaching for his tools.
Roger's smile turned bitter.
"Can we change the terms? You know we don't like getting dragged into wars."
"You're already a thorn in the World Government's side."
Brook let out a cold chuckle.
"You think you can escape forever?"
Roger scratched his head and laughed shamelessly.
"Well… we can run away."
His Observation Haki that could hear everything had saved him more times than he could count.
Brook fell silent.
Crocus, however, didn't pause. With instruments, Devil Fruit power, and the precision of a top tier doctor, he reached a conclusion fast, then his expression turned grim.
"Captain Brook."
Crocus spoke professionally, without drama.
"Roger is beyond saving."
The air tightened.
"He's been poisoned in both body and soul. Some secret method has drained his vitality to the bone. His body also looks like it's been forced with extreme stimulants for years."
Crocus looked up.
"If I treat him carefully and keep him stable, he can live another four or five years."
Brook's eyes narrowed.
"So it's that serious…"
He recognized the signs. Roger, just like Luffy in another age, was the kind of captain who would burn his own lifespan for strength without hesitation. Add a mysterious toxin on top of that, and even Roger's body couldn't endure it.
"Was it a Marine captain?"
Brook's voice carried no warmth.
"Roger, I warned you before."
Roger ignored the accusation like it was background noise.
Instead, he grinned, clearly relieved.
"Four or five years? Great."
He turned his head toward Crocus, already deciding.
"I'll stay here for treatment."
Then he looked back at Brook, eyes bright with a different hunger.
"And Captain Brook, do you have any D clan members here?"
Brook's expression didn't change.
So he was still dodging the questions that mattered.
Roger turned to his crew, voice booming across the dock.
"Rayleigh, Gaban, Spencer, everyone, listen up."
He laughed, like he was announcing a banquet.
"I'm going to stay here and recover. I'm going to find my happiness."
His smile widened.
"So I'm declaring it now. The Roger Pirates are officially disbanded today."
The world seemed to freeze.
"Rayleigh will be captain from this moment on. You can follow him and keep adventuring, or you can leave and live freely."
Buggy and Shanks screamed at the same time, tears flying.
They rushed forward, grabbed Roger's legs, and clung like barnacles.
"Captain Roger! No! Take it back!"
"We're not disbanding!"
Rayleigh pressed his lips into a hard line. Roger had told him last night, but hearing it said out loud still felt like getting punched.
Gaban and Spencer exploded.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
"You want to stay here and enjoy yourself? Fine, then we'll enjoy ourselves too!"
Roger laughed louder, refusing to bend.
"Ahahaha! You've got your own adventures!"
"The Roger Pirates already finished what we came to do."
"If you don't want to follow Rayleigh, then go out to sea and become captains yourselves!"
He was cutting the rope on purpose.
If the Roger Pirates stopped existing, Brook would have a harder time forcing them into service as a unit.
But the crew wouldn't accept it.
They looked like men saying goodbye at a funeral.
"Captain, we're not leaving!"
"We're brothers!"
Brook watched the scene for a moment, then finally sighed.
"Yohohoho."
His laughter cut through the chaos.
"Do you think this is a vegetable market?"
Roger flinched, and Brook's eyes turned sharp.
"Roger, if you want treatment, shut up."
The words dropped like a judge's gavel.
"Since the Roger Pirates are disbanded, your crew doesn't have to follow the orders of that lousy captain anymore."
Brook's grin widened.
"Anyone who wants to stay, can stay."
Then, like a man tossing bait into a shark pool, Brook spoke again.
"And I remember something else."
He let the words hang just long enough to hook every ear.
"One of your important crew members has a daughter who was born and raised on Nine Snake Island."
A stunned silence.
"You want to know whose daughter she is?"
Brook's laugh turned almost playful.
"Stay here and earn it."
"If you complete my mission, I might reveal her identity. I might even arrange a reunion."
He spread his hands as if it cost him dearly.
"I paid a huge price to get the Kingdom to make an exception. So don't waste the opportunity."
The Roger Pirates went stiff.
Every single man's mind raced.
They had all been to the Land of Women at least once. Not just Roger and Rayleigh. Several officers had "contributed" too, during that trip.
But none of them were allowed to know anything afterward.
Now Brook was saying a daughter existed, but he wouldn't say whose.
The crew's eyes turned wild.
What if it was theirs?
Even Roger and Rayleigh clenched their fists.
Brook's smile deepened at the sight.
Rayleigh's face twisted with anger and resignation.
"Brook… you bastard. I knew you had bad intentions."
"Yohohoho!"
Brook didn't deny it.
"I believe in fairness."
He raised a pure gold ring in his gloved hand, and the golden light flashed like a miniature sun.
"If you join the Hell Pirates, I might consider giving you a pure gold ring as a reward."
He flicked the ring lightly.
"Whether Roger gets one depends on you, Acting Captain Rayleigh."
The ring spun once in the air.
Every eye followed it.
Buggy practically drooled.
Pure gold.
The legendary treasure that could keep people alive.
A fortune that could buy the world.
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