Brook studied the Seraphs in silence.
These were not crude clones. Vegapunk had woven Lunarian blood into them, then layered in the genes of various top tier officers. The project had already been underway back when Brook first vanished.
Lunarian blood was said to adapt to any environment, any lineage. Vegapunk had spent seven or eight years digging into that miracle, and now the results stood here, staring back with cold, childlike eyes.
Still, there were limits.
Most Seraph abilities were Paramecia based, along with physical enhancements. Certain powers could not be copied at all. Redfield's thunder, for example, was a true Logia. No matter how genius the scientist, nature itself did not come out of a test tube.
Artificial Zoans were one route.
Artificial Paramecia bloodline factors were another, produced as "green blood."
Given enough resources, Vegapunk believed he could replicate any Zoan and most Paramecia abilities, as long as he could obtain the user's bloodline factor first.
That was precisely why Impel Down existed in the old world. A prison on the surface, a laboratory warehouse underneath.
In the original history, the Seraph version of Jinbe used a Paramecia that mimicked swimming in water. That power was made by extracting the bloodline factor from Senior Pink, one of Doflamingo's men who ended up in Impel Down, then synthesizing it into green blood.
Brook's gaze stayed on the Seraphs.
"So their combat power," he said calmly, "is around an elite vice admiral?"
Vegapunk laughed, delighted by the question.
"At ten years old, they should be around vice admiral level. And they will continue to grow. How far they can go, even I can't say yet."
Brook's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And will they develop emotions?"
He looked at the child versions that carried Newgate's and Shiki's traits. For a moment, the thought was almost amusing.
If they were truly the sons of those two monsters, how perfect would that be?
"It's possible," Vegapunk said without hesitation. "They're not pure machines. They're semi mechanized so their bodies can mature. Science is full of uncertainty."
Ethics did not even appear on his face. Vegapunk chased results the way pirates chased treasure. He had even made clones of himself, and one of them was a girl. Morality was just another variable to him.
Brook smiled.
"Then let them recognize Newgate and Shiki as their fathers."
Maybe this could become an "alternate line" of heirs. Not blood, but close enough to make the world laugh.
Vegapunk nodded as if Brook were discussing which shelf to place a book on.
"That's acceptable. And Captain Brook, I've already made my decision."
His expression turned serious.
"I'm going to split my head and create Punk Records. I can't carry on like this much longer."
With Marshall D. Tim's black tech medical knowledge added to his own genius, Vegapunk's skills had climbed again. In medicine alone, he was already pushing toward the top of the world.
Brook whistled softly.
"Then reshape Punk Hazard however you like. If you need it, we can give you Egghead Island too. Even the Tree of Knowledge of Ohara. Choose whichever suits you."
Vegapunk's eyes shone.
"Thank you. But Punk Hazard holds too many critical research results. I'll use Egghead to store my brain."
He spoke as if he were describing a storage room.
"Once I do this, I won't be able to leave the island again."
Brook waved a hand, dismissing the concern.
"With Shiki here, what are you worried about? And Seraph P has the Float Float power. Just focus on your research. This place will be safer than a king's bedroom."
Vegapunk hesitated, then leaned forward a little, voice turning eager.
"Captain Brook, I'm very interested in the Teleport Fruit user. If possible, I want his bloodline factor."
Brook's laughter rolled out.
"Yohoho! No problem. If he refuses, we capture him and you study him. If he's already in the Pirate Guild, it's even easier. We buy his blood."
Brook still remembered how Rocks had hunted Kurt Wagner for years, desperate to seize that slippery ability. The man had escaped again and again.
Teleportation was the sort of power that turned pursuit into a joke.
Brook's smile sharpened.
"And Barbosa's Replacement Fruit is not bad either."
He paused, eyes glinting.
"But the best would be the Teleport Fruit of that God's Knight."
Brook hated that Knight with a passion. That bastard had launched Brook to the moon.
Yet even Brook had to admit it, that teleportation range was insane.
Vegapunk nodded thoughtfully, speaking like a professor correcting a student.
"The Replacement Fruit requires line of sight and a substitute object. It swaps positions."
He tapped his temple.
"The Teleport Fruit, however, can go anywhere within a certain range. And it can bring others along."
He looked almost wistful.
"I need something that can carry my head with me. Replacement could be a backup, but Teleport is ideal."
Brook's voice turned crisp.
"I'll get them."
He sent orders to Antonio immediately. Find the Teleport Fruit user. And while you are at it, confirm whether the Devil Fruits once held by the God's Knights had already reincarnated into the world and been recovered by the World Government.
Teleportation. Word. Withering. Barrier.
Each of them was a monster ability, the kind that made even Brook feel envy.
As for the Paw Fruit, Brook considered it practically his already. At the very least, it would not end up back in the World Government's hands.
Vegapunk suddenly brightened again, as if remembering something important.
"Captain Brook, the experiment of letting objects eat Devil Fruits still has a limitation."
He lifted a finger.
"Only Zoans can safely reside in objects because Zoans have consciousness. Paramecia and Logia do not."
He paused, then smiled wide.
"But we found a workaround."
Brook's brows rose.
"The Shipping King," Vegapunk continued, almost proud, "has located a millennium pearl with a soul and consciousness. With it, you can finally choose to create a Paramecia Door Door Fruit wristband."
Vegapunk's excitement spilled over.
"You can also wait until we find the Teleport Fruit and make a Teleport wristband. Or you can kill Kurt Wagner, obtain the Warp Fruit, and then make the Teleport wristband."
Brook exhaled, genuinely surprised.
"I didn't expect that thing to actually exist."
He had thrown the idea out casually back then. He had not even bothered to search himself. An object with a soul was no different from a living being.
Honestly, giving a Devil Fruit to a loyal subordinate was usually better than feeding one to an artifact.
At the time, Brook had simply wanted a door ring, a space ring, something convenient. So he tossed the task at Umid.
And Umid actually found it.
Vegapunk added, "Umid discovered it in the navel of the East Blue, following your hint. There were casualties."
Brook's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he nodded slowly.
"Then we wait a little longer."
His tone turned decisive.
"The Teleport Fruit is even stronger than the Door Door Fruit."
Right now, Brook already had the Seven Star Demon Sword Quetzalcoatl, plus his warehouse clerk, the Parrot. He did not urgently need the Door Door ability, which was exactly why he had always hesitated to give it away.
But if he turned it into a wristband…
He could assign a loyal "gatekeeper" and turn the entire Sky Island into a hub.
Up and down at will.
To any island.
Anytime.
One step, and the world opened.
---------------
The moment Brook gave the order to capture Kurt Wagner, the slippery devil slipped through their fingers.
The man with the Teleport Fruit did not stay in the New World. He fled straight out, crossed into the Grand Line, and vanished into the safer waters like a ghost.
The World Government seized the opening instantly.
They invited Kurt Wagner to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
For once, even the Hell Pirates were caught off guard.
Soon after, the World Government publicly announced the latest list of the Shichibukai. Five names were confirmed.
Kurt Wagner.
Captain John.
Naguri.
Crocodile.
And a former vice admiral named Dorodos.
Two more names were also included in the announcement, Morley from the West Blue, and Bartholomew Kuma, who had been nearly forced out to sea.
Antonio hurried to Brook with the report.
"Brother Brook, Morley contacted us. Should he accept the World Government's invitation?"
Antonio's tone carried a hint of disbelief. The World Government was clearly desperate to fill the seats. They were even recruiting pirates who had escaped from the New World.
Naguri, who bragged he had a fifty fifty chance against Pirate King Roger.
Kurt Wagner, who had escaped Shiki without a scratch.
Captain John, one of Rocks' top executives.
Crocodile, the Desert Devil.
Brook leaned back and laughed.
"Yohoho! Are we sending spies in, or what?"
He tapped the armrest lazily, amusement shining in his eyes.
"How many identities does Morley have now? Founder of the West Blue Self Defense Force, secret member of Dragon's Revolutionary Army, one of our hidden men, and now he can become a Shichibukai too."
Brook waved a hand as if he were handing out candy.
"Let him join. And while he's at it, use the Warlords' legal privilege to swallow a few non member countries. Give him another title."
His smile widened.
"A king."
Antonio's mouth curled into a grin.
"Understood. Morley can play that role."
He turned to leave, already planning the next orders. Once Morley became a Warlord, he needed to exploit that government sanctioned piracy to the fullest. Profit, influence, territory, all of it.
After all, the Chinjao family in the underworld had long since surrendered. With Hell Pirate support, they had already unified the West Blue's underground market, turning it into one of the dumping grounds for Hell Pirate goods.
In short, even if the West Blue flew the World Government flag, the Hell Pirates would take it piece by piece.
The blame would stick to the World Government.
They were the ones who invented the Shichibukai, pirates with a legal license to plunder.
If Brook wanted to rot the World Government's reputation from the inside, the Seven Warlords were the perfect starting point.
Brook's gaze turned colder.
"Since they want to be Warlords," he said, voice calm, "then they should be killed."
The Hell Pirates' immediate goal was still being refined, but this was a clean target. Freshly crowned Shichibukai, newly visible, newly arrogant.
Perfect for bloodletting.
"Put out bounties," Brook ordered. "On the great pirates of the New World, on the Seven Warlords, and on every navy officer above Admiral."
As he spoke, the chief steward Stussy entered.
Brook pulled her close with one arm, sat her down on his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world, and continued speaking as he toyed with her.
Stussy laughed, her voice bright and teasing.
"Hahahaha! You bastard. We've been together this long and you still play around like this?"
Her face still carried the sweetness of a young woman. Time had barely touched her. Her own racial gifts helped, but the pure gold ring was the real reason she remained untouched by age.
Yet even after all these years, the sharp, "innocent" flavor she carried still hooked Brook like a habit he never wanted to quit.
Brook chuckled.
"If you don't like this, we can play Horseback Riding West."
He ran his fingers along her black stockings, laughing like a sinner with a crown.
"If you disagree, you'll be galloping tonight."
Stussy rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips betrayed her.
"No. Tonight is fine."
Then her tone shifted, suddenly businesslike, though her eyes were a little unfocused from being held like this.
"Now, about Roger. The D girl he's dating on Cake Island has half Ice Witch blood. If he has a child with her, it could take several more years for the baby to be born."
Brook froze for a beat.
"What? He really picked that?"
Half Ice Witch blood meant a longer gestation. Roughly five years to bring the child into the world.
Roger's timing was almost too perfect.
If they stayed together now, the child's birth would land around the same period Ace was destined to appear in the old history.
Brook's expression twisted into something between irritation and disbelief.
"Does this world have some kind of correction force or what?"
Stussy tilted her head.
"Then should we separate them? They're already glued together."
Brook exhaled, then waved it off with a tired kind of acceptance.
"No. It's fate."
His eyes sharpened.
"Tell Roger the truth. Let him choose."
Stussy giggled softly and slipped off his lap with practiced grace.
"Fine. And wait for me tonight, my Emperor."
She left the office with that sweet laugh still floating in the air.
Brook watched her go, then clicked his tongue, irritation rising for reasons he absolutely refused to name.
He would call Toki and Shakky tonight too.
After most of the work was settled, Brook went to find his youngest daughter and son, Kikyo and Nika.
The older children had grown and left to chase their own strength. Even daughters like Kanna, Hela, and Shana had flown off to carve their own paths. They were no longer clinging to their old man the way they once did.
Katifa, however, was different.
Stussy's fourth princess was only twelve this year, still studying on Sky Island. She was not old enough to form a mission team with her siblings.
It made her look lonely.
No brothers or sisters close to her age, no peer to bicker with, no partner to spar with daily.
So Brook gave her more attention, trying to make up for the fatherly time he had failed to give her before.
He had once considered giving Katifa the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Large-Mouthed True God.
But Stussy was even more ambitious than him.
She wanted one of the bald Elder abilities, or the Word Spirit Fruit of God's Knight Michael.
Because of that, Stussy worked like a demon, determined to leave the best possible treasure for her daughter.
If those targets could not be taken, then at minimum, Katifa needed an overwhelming Logia.
Brook gathered Katifa, then went to Shakky and Toki, bringing Kikyo and Nika along as well.
To his surprise, Shakky had already arranged several Mink maids from Zou through Kola, the Koala Mink. Among them were two girls from the White Dog tribe.
Brook stared for a moment, then sighed inwardly.
It really seemed Kikyo had an unbreakable bond with dogs.
Katifa, meanwhile, stayed quietly to the side.
Because she was often alone, she carried an aloof edge. Stussy had raised her with elite discipline from infancy. Katifa had already mastered the Six Powers at a young age, along with advanced extensions.
But because Stussy protected her too well, Katifa had not awakened Conqueror's Haki yet.
Unlike Hel.
That girl was pure tyranny in human form. She awakened Conqueror's Haki on her own, without Brook arranging anything. She was slightly stronger than her three twin brothers, fiercely competitive, and shamelessly ambitious.
Hel even wanted to compete with Hades, Osiris, and Kanna.
And she trained like her life depended on it.
.....
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