On the Empty Throne of the Holy Land, Marijoa, Im sat in silence. His expression, once calm and mocking, had darkened into something terrifying.
How?
How could Brook—that bastard—manage to enter the Celestial Dragons' national treasure?
The shield of the great weapon was absolute. It had withstood Newgate's quake that shattered space itself, endured Redfield's storm of lightning, and deflected Linlin's soul thunder. Yet it could not keep out one thing—souls.
The realization gnawed at Im's mind. Was this some hidden weakness of the national treasure? Could there truly be a nemesis that even he had overlooked?
For the first time in centuries, Im felt genuine irritation. "Nika… and now Brook. Another fruit user who dares upset the balance."
If damage had been done inside the fortress, if his weapon had truly been scarred from within, he might be forced to act personally—to descend into the New World and kill Brook with his own hands.
The oppressive silence of Pangaea Castle mirrored Im's anger. The usually boisterous Celestial Dragons cowered, hushed in their chambers. The Five Elders, sensing his wrath, rushed into the Void Hall and knelt beneath the throne, waiting for orders like trembling hounds.
On the golden ship, Brook lay weak in Charlotte Linlin's arms, staring into the empty sky where the fortress had vanished. His jaw clenched in frustration.
"Brother Brook, are you alright?" Linlin's voice carried both concern and fury. She cradled him carefully, as if afraid he might break apart.
Redfield rejoined them, lightning still crackling faintly from his sword, while Crocus hurried over to examine Brook.
"This is soul damage," Crocus muttered grimly. "Blood crystal dandelions won't work. What he needs is direct replenishment of soul energy. My Healing Fruit can't restore this—it hasn't awakened that far yet."
Linlin's eyes hardened. Without hesitation, she ripped a soul fragment from one of her Homies and forced it into Brook's mouth. "Eat, Brook. Recover."
He didn't resist. The energy coursed into him, dulling the ache in his spirit, though his face remained pale and drawn. Slowly, his eyes sharpened again.
"Thank you, Linlin," he said hoarsely, before turning to the others. "Redfield, Tom—set a course. We regroup with Shiki at once. Get us away from this place before the World Government sends more."
The crew worked quickly, patching the hole torn in the hull and stabilizing the ship. Smoke curled out of the vents, but the vessel held. Though the fortress had escaped destruction, at least Brook had bought time. Doragonzo Island still stood.
Back at God Valley, the navy fleet was in chaos.
"The national treasure… returned empty-handed?"
Admiral Kukulkan's emerald eyes blazed as his fists trembled. He had expected carnage, at least the annihilation of one pirate armada. Instead, both Rocks and Brook had escaped unscathed.
To pursue them now, deep into the New World, would be suicide. Even if the navy crushed one overlord crew, they would be swallowed whole by the swarm of pirates lurking beyond.
And worse—fighting on Hell Pirate territory meant risking annihilation at the hands of their weapons and fortresses.
The Admirals awaited orders, many casting uneasy glances toward the cages holding Admiral Coss Davo and the wounded survivors. They longed to rescue Candidate Youge, but none dared to voice it.
Then, cold and precise, the masked commander of CP0 delivered the Five Elders' decree.
"Fleet Admiral Kukulkan. Reorganize the headquarters. Assist with relocating the Valley of the Gods. For now, abandon the siege of Rocks and Brook."
The words hit like chains. The World Government had spoken. The battle was over.
The three surviving Knights of God remained behind under new orders: until fresh admirals were chosen and trained, they themselves would serve as the navy's pillars, the temporary "Three Admirals."
Thus the God Valley War—one of the bloodiest conflicts in eight hundred years—ended. Yet beneath the ocean's surface, the undercurrents of chaos only grew stronger.
The golden ship reunited with Shiki's fleet and returned safely to Doragonzo Island. Relief swept across the Hell Pirates' territories as the highest-level alert was lifted. Few outside the inner circle even realized how close they had come to destruction.
Vegapunk and Moore Thomas collapsed into chairs, drenched in sweat. "I thought Uranus was going to wipe us off the map…"
"I'm finally back!!"
Kozuki Oden threw himself onto the clouded ground of Ballon Island, rolling with wild laughter. His aura had grown sharper from the war; at last, he had awakened the true will of a king.
Nearby, Kaido grinned, while Fisher Tiger stood apart, silent. The gap between him and his comrades weighed heavily on his heart. He had no Conqueror's Haki, no mythical fruit—only his fists. For the first time, he wondered if he should accept a Devil Fruit, even at the cost of the sea.
Meanwhile, Linlin supported Brook as they descended onto Beast Island. There, they harvested beasts and fed their souls to him, even slaughtering the prisoners in the fortress prisons. Only after consuming dozens of spirits did Brook's strength begin to return.
The next morning, the Hell Pirates gathered to count their spoils.
First came the Devil Fruits: the Scroll Fruit of Tianmulan, the Castle Fruit of Uju, and the Pocket Fruit of Bra Kara. Each radiated potential, coveted by the crew.
Before the distribution, though, Shiki unveiled the grandest prize: the Celestial Dragon palace itself, transported whole by his ability. Its treasures spilled across Ballon Island—mountains of gold, seas of jewels, statues glittering with inlaid gems.
Even more shocking was the massive red stone set within the palace walls. A Poneglyph.
Brook ran his hand over its etched surface, his eyes reflecting its crimson glow. With this, he now held three. Only two remained: one on Zou, the other in Wano's depths.
Whether Roger would ever claim the title of Pirate King now depended entirely on Brook's choices.
"Yohohoho…" Brook's laughter echoed, low and dangerous.
"Brother Brook, forget the rocks!" Kaido barked, his eyes burning with greed. "Give me a fruit. Any top-tier ability. I'll prove myself among the Four Great Fighters!"
The Lunarian "fallen angels" pressed forward too, their wings gleaming. Anticipation thickened the air.
"Patience," Brook said smoothly, tapping the edge of his Seven-Star Sword. "We'll sort the treasure first. Then, the fruits."
One by one, the loot was brought forth. Bra Kara emptied his pockets—heaps of rare metals, gems, and relics. Vegapunk immediately snatched the rarer alloys, already dreaming of new experiments.
Next came Tianmulan, unfurling scrolls that released fleets of miniature golden warships and statues larger than giants. The crew's eyes shone. They were rich beyond measure, their coffers secured for decades.
Finally, all eyes turned to Uju. His chest swelled as he prepared to reveal the most coveted spoils of all.
---------------
Uju stood at the center of the deck, calm and steady despite dozens of eyes burning holes into him. As one of the earliest members to join the Hell Pirates, his position was secure. He wasn't nervous in the slightest.
(Uju - The Fat green parrot who ate the Caslte Fruit.)
"Bring out the prisoners first," Brook commanded.
A small door opened in Uju's massive chest. From within, his castle-army soldiers marched out, dragging bound figures with chains: Navy Admiral Coss Davo, Admiral Candidate Youge, Admiral Hoss, and the notorious Bloody Hand Braver. Behind them were the cold, lifeless corpses of two Knights of God.
Brook's eye gleamed with a dark light. "Speaking of these corpses… one of you will eat the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Who wants it?"
His gaze swept over the four Lunaria warriors—Abefu, Aroan, Alice, and Jennie. With their black wings, they already ruled the skies. What they needed now were abilities that could deepen their monstrous power.
The Shadow-Shadow Fruit was too valuable. Control of zombies, manipulation of corpses—an army of the dead could be forged with it. Whoever consumed it would immediately rise to the rank of core cadre.
"Me!" Abefu, the eldest and fiercest of the four, stepped forward without hesitation. His eyes glowed as he stared at the fallen bodies before him. To command corpses, to enslave even the Knights of God—it was the kind of dark, filthy work he relished.
Brook's teeth clattered into a laugh. "Good. Then from today, you are the Shadow Devil of the Four Fallen Angels."
With a flick of his wrist, Brook tossed him a fruit inked with jagged black swirls and crowned with green leaves. This was the very Shadow-Shadow Fruit recovered from the corpse of the Night King Barrow.
Abefu caught it reverently and sank his teeth in. The fruit's bitter taste twisted his face, but already shadows began to coil around him like loyal beasts.
Brook turned to Aroan. "And you—this Bone-Bone Fruit suits you. From today, you are the Bone Demon."
The fruit shimmered with pale patterns, its surface sharp as ivory. Once belonging to Salmon of the Rocks Pirates, its power could manipulate bone itself.
Aroan, towering at six meters tall, dropped to one knee. "Thank you, Captain Brook!" He swallowed the fruit in one bite. For a man his size, the entire Devil Fruit was barely a mouthful.
Brook narrowed his sockets thoughtfully. "This fruit lets you control bones around you… but if you push it further, perhaps even your own skeleton. Develop it well. True monsters aren't born—they're forged."
"I understand, Captain," Aroan replied, his voice deep with determination.
Alice and Jennie stepped forward expectantly, their wings folded tight against their backs. They were hungry, their eyes practically glowing.
Brook chuckled. "Patience. I'll decide your fruits after we review the haul."
"Yes, Captain Brook!" they replied in unison, bowing their heads.
Uju's soldiers stacked the spoils high. Thirty-eight boxes, each locked tight, glistened under the sunlight. Thirty-eight Devil Fruits—enough to make kings tremble.
The sight made Brook's frozen heart thump with something close to awe. This was true wealth. True power.
He thought of the Celestial Dragons, feeding fruits to their slaves as if they were nothing but trinkets. Even Hancock's master had casually tossed three fruits to her and her sisters. For the nobles of the Holy Land, Devil Fruits were toys, not treasures.
"Pathetic parasites," Brook muttered under his breath. "But useful parasites."
At his side, Stussy was already prepared. She handed him the latest edition of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia without needing to be asked. Brook glanced at her approvingly. "You always know what I need, Stussy. Yohohoho…"
With his Seven-Star Demon Sword, Brook cleaved the first padlock clean off. He threw open the lid with theatrical flair. "The most exciting thing in life is opening one of these boxes! Let's hope fate is kind today."
Kaido loomed close, fists clenched, face red with anticipation. Even the beast couldn't hide his excitement.
Brook lifted the fruit from its velvet bed. His eyes widened. "Well, now… this is interesting."
The fruit was shaped like a polyhedral die, shimmering with odd facets.
"Paramecia-type… Door-Door Fruit." Brook's voice dropped into awe. "So this is where Blueno's fruit ended up."
The crew murmured. A fruit that could open doors through space itself—a spy's dream, an assassin's blade, a captain's perfect tool.
Brook closed his fingers around it. "I'll save this for my personal guard. With it, our movement between Sky Island and the seas below will be far easier. And… it looks damn stylish."
Kaido's face fell. "Tch. Not for me." He grumbled, glaring at the next box.
Brook only laughed and slashed open two more locks in one stroke. He flipped the lids and gestured to Tianmulan.
Her eyes flicked over the fruits, her memory flawless. "Animal-type… Cat-Cat Fruit, Ancient Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger. Another is Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund. And the last… Elephant-Elephant Fruit." She paused, her lips parting in surprise. "…And a Mythical Beast-type: Raccoon."
Gasps rippled through the crew. A mythical fruit—rare, coveted, priceless.
Brook chuckled, low and dangerous. "So the Celestial Dragons kept even this locked away…"
He twirled the raccoon fruit between his fingers. Vegapunk once used it to create Padong, the raccoon pen capable of conjuring illusions so real they could summon visions of admirals and Warlords alike. To place such power in the hands of the Hell Pirates… the seas would quake.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Shiki said with a grin, already imagining his own fleets armed with new fruits.
Brook looked over the sea of unopened boxes. Thirty more waited. His eyes gleamed. "Yohohoho… we've barely started."
With a sweep of his sword, he cut open the next row.
"Now," he said, raising the next fruit high for all to see, "let's see what destiny has given the Hell Pirates."
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