Far from the storm-ravaged battlefield, the Divine Knight Gabriel, the Red Earl, and the Golden Lion were locked in combat. Yet all three paused when they felt the terrifying surge of power from afar.
"Haha! That old man Kukulkan must've unleashed his final card," Gabriel laughed darkly. "With the Doomsday Storm, not even the Hell Pirates could survive. How could a fleet full of Devil Fruit users withstand such a disaster?"
He had always known of Kukulkan's life-burning trump card. If the storm swallowed the flying fleet, drowning the pirates and even their top cadres, then Kukulkan's death would not be in vain. Gabriel's pride as a Knight of God would remain intact.
But he still had a problem—the Red Earl and the Golden Lion pressed him mercilessly. If he didn't escape soon, they would wear him down.
"Why don't you two return to your captain? Perhaps you can still save them, if they survived!" Gabriel sneered. All he wanted now was to shake these two free and return to the safety of Mary Geoise. He had no desire to remain an admiral. Let someone else carry that burden. He only wanted to remain a Knight of God, guarding the holy land and enjoying divine privilege.
Redfield's eyes narrowed. Slowly, he pulled a few small sheets of paper from his pocket—life papers. The scraps bore the names of Brook, Newgate, and Linlin. They were crisp and steady, not even singed.
"They're fine," Redfield said coldly.
Shiki's grin spread wide. "Hahaha~, Gabriel, our captain's alive, and he's got his eyes on your little Weather Fruit. Hand it over!"
He had seen firsthand how devastating the combination of the Quetzalcoatl Fruit and the Weather Fruit had been. Even the Hell Pirates had nearly fallen into that trap. If Brook already held Kukulkan's fruit, then Gabriel's Weather Fruit would make them unstoppable.
With those two powers, plus the ancient weapon Pluto that Brook planned to hunt down after this war, the Hell Pirates would rival the World Government itself. Even Rocks would tremble before them.
The thought thrilled Shiki. He imagined seizing Beehive Island, avenging his fallen comrades, and ruling the New World under Brook's shadow. Brook would be king of the world, and he—Shiki—would be the overlord beneath him.
Gabriel's expression twisted. "You vermin think you're worthy to touch my noble life? My Devil Fruit?"
"You still dare call yourself noble?" Redfield's voice dripped with contempt, thunder crackling in his blade.
"The Celestial Dragons are the gods of this world," Gabriel declared, his face alight with fanatic devotion. "And we, the Knights of God, are their servants, second only to them! You are filth unworthy of even breathing the same air!"
"Then go to hell with your gods!"
"Sky-Cutting Blade—Heaven's Divide!!"
Golden Lion Shiki's swords slashed, releasing waves of golden energy as he hurled himself forward. Redfield followed, thunder sword blazing. Both men burned with fury—the arrogance of the Celestial Dragons and their dogs was intolerable.
Gabriel's lips curled into a sneer. "You think the absence of thunderclouds leaves me powerless? You fools have no idea what the Weather Fruit can do."
The air around them twisted. A breeze turned into a vortex. The vortex grew, rising higher, spinning faster—until a massive waterspout bridged sea and sky.
"This fruit was chosen for me by the Celestial Dragons themselves," Gabriel said proudly. "It can shape weather from nothing. Tornadoes, storms, waterspouts—it has no limits. And I alone carry that legacy!"
The howling spouts forced Shiki off-balance. His floating power faltered, and he cursed as the winds drove him out of the storm's heart.
"Hahaha! That's right, run!" Gabriel roared. "Redfield, drown in the sea with my storm!"
The waterspouts split, multiplying into dozens. Hurricanes tore through the battlefield, seawater surging like cannon fire. Redfield was forced back, his lightning blade crackling as he shielded himself from the torrents.
"Perfect," Gabriel whispered to himself. "Stay trapped, both of you. This knight leaves now."
With one final surge of power, he split the storm into a dozen barriers, then launched himself skyward with Moon Step, vanishing into the distance.
Below the waves, two fishmen surged upward in pursuit. From within the great battleship, sharp eyes peered through special glass. The figures inside tracked Gabriel's retreating form, their sights fixed on the Knight of God who dared to call himself divine.
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Cutting through the towering waterspout, Brook's thoughts sharpened. Any Devil Fruit entrusted to a Knight of God must be extraordinary.
The Weather Fruit, in particular, fit perfectly with the New World's violent seas and unpredictable skies. But unlike pirates or marines, the Knights of God—servants of the Celestial Dragons—lacked the freedom to awaken Conqueror's Haki. For them, the path was a hundred times harder.
And yet… they had resources beyond compare. Each Knight was a chosen seedling, handpicked from thousands, armed with Devil Fruits so rare that even Celestial Dragons hesitated to part with them.
"For eight hundred years, those pampered parasites have wasted treasures they never deserved," Brook muttered, his eyes glinting coldly. "They flaunt power, feed fruits to slaves for amusement, and hoard resources while letting their bloodlines rot."
Charlotte Linlin's laughter rolled across the storm. "That Weather Fruit will be perfect for our children! With it, our family will surpass even the Celestial Dragons themselves!"
"Gurararara!" Newgate's booming laugh echoed. "Another disaster-class ability… with this, we'll shake the world itself."
Brook's grip on the Seven-Star Demon Sword tightened. "Ready yourselves. We're taking him down."
The crew answered in unison, but they all knew—the real hunt would be Brook's.
From below, Fishman Tom hurled a massive transparent sphere into the sky. It cracked open, releasing the battleship. Several figures shot out from its forehead hatch, streaking toward Gabriel.
At the same time, Tianmulan unfurled several scrolls, summoning back the golden ship and the rest of the fleet. Cadres of the Hell Pirates rushed to their posts as the battlefield shifted.
Gabriel, racing through the air with Moon Steps, turned pale as he spotted the pursuit. Brook, astride the Kirin Lion, closed in fast, with Newgate and Linlin thundering behind on conjured clouds.
"How?!" Gabriel's voice broke into a snarl. "That decrepit fool Kukulkan couldn't even slow you down?!"
He cursed under his breath, straining every muscle to drive the storm harder, faster. But the Kirin Lion, with its Wind-Control powers and mighty wings, cut through the gale, drawing ever closer.
"Gabriel!" Brook's laughter carried across the storm. "You thought you could run from me? That fruit of yours… it was fated to belong to us!"
Gabriel's scalp tingled as Brook's voice grew near. They were close enough to speak plainly. He gritted his teeth. "Are all powerful Devil Fruits yours by birthright? Hypocrite!"
"You're wrong," Brook answered, voice sharp with certainty. "When fate chooses, it cannot be stopped. To be hunted by me is destiny! Don't tell me you'll reject the love of the New World's overlord?"
His grin widened. "Hand over your power. I'll take good care of it."
"Arrogant thief!" Gabriel roared. Fury boiled in his chest, but his battered body left him no strength to turn and fight.
For ten agonizing miles, he fled, until at last the storm itself seemed to answer his rage. With a guttural scream, Gabriel unleashed everything.
A tornado of monstrous scale—over a thousand meters wide—tore into existence. The sea rose with it, walls of water spiraling skyward. The very air screamed.
"Brook! If I die, you'll die with me!"
The storm's pull seized both predator and prey, dragging them into the whirling eye. Even the Kirin Lion, wings thrashing, could not break free.
Newgate and Linlin halted at the edge, forced back by the roaring currents. Seawater sprayed in torrents—the deadliest bane of Devil Fruit users.
Gabriel coughed blood, the storm ripping it away as soon as it left his lips. His body shook with exhaustion, but his madness blazed. "I swore I'd never use this… a move of mutual destruction, passed down by my predecessors. But for you, Brook—I'll take us both to hell!"
Brook's jaw set tight. "A natural disaster on this scale… even I can't resist it head-on."
The Kirin Lion's wings snapped under the gale. Its eyes turned sorrowful as it cried out to its master.
Brook's ghostly aura surged. He pulled Gabriel onto the beast's back, striking him hard enough to knock him unconscious. "You don't get to die just yet," Brook hissed. "Not until I've claimed your fruit."
Then he raised the Seven-Star Demon Sword high. "Underworld Ice Prison!"
Dark blue energy exploded from him. The storm's spray froze solid, encasing Brook, Gabriel, and the Kirin Lion in a massive orb of spinning ice.
The frozen sphere tumbled within the raging tornado, but inside, Brook poured every ounce of ghost energy into holding it together.
"Yohoho… looks like I really did win big," he whispered through gritted teeth. "Now, let's see if my crew can finish what I started."
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[TL: I have a small announcement for everyone.
I just released a new fanfic titled "I Just Want to Die and Sit on the Throne of Heroes."
From the title alone some of you probably already know the fandom, but for those who do not, this story is based on the Fate Series. The main character is thrown into the era of Gilgamesh, so expect heroes, gods, and all kinds of divine trouble.
As for the Tensura based fanfic I mentioned before, I decided to stop that project. After reading further into the original series, I found too many plot holes and inconsistencies for the kind of story I want, so I chose not to continue it rather than force a messy fanfic.
If you are interested in the new Fate fanfic, feel free to check my profile and you will find it there.]