Stussy's delicate hands clasped together, gently covering her mouth. Her eyes sparkled with a teasing smile, tinged with a hint of exaggerated shock.
"Ahem, my bad, my bad! Got a bit heated there—pure instinct, no hard feelings! That's it for today, folks!"
Brook handed the map, marked by Shakky's oil-smeared finger pointing to an island, to Tom and Shiki.
"Head to the nearest island for now," he instructed.
With a sly wink at Stussy, Brook leapt off the Golden Ark, hopping onto his nimbus cloud Hera and zooming toward the Tree of Knowledge.
The crew scattered, each going their own way. Charlotte Linlin, spotting Brook's flight path, jumped onto her thundercloud Zeus to follow. But when she reached the Tree of Knowledge, Brook was nowhere to be found. Shrugging, she wandered off to browse her favorite books on exotic animals and rare races.
Stussy, still smiling, sprouted wings and glided from the Golden Ark toward the Tree of Knowledge, her heart racing with a flicker of anticipation.
...\
Meanwhile, Shakky locked herself in her cabin aboard the Golden Ark, cheeks burning. She tossed and turned, caught between embarrassment and replaying the moment in her mind. How could she face the crew now?
That jerk of a captain, Brook, smacking her in front of everyone! So humiliating!
Her face felt like it was on fire as she recalled the day's events. Clearly, she needed to class it up. Brook didn't seem to vibe with her rough-and-tumble, sloppy style.
"Fine, it's settled!" she declared to herself. "Starting today, I, Shakky, will be a refined vampire lady—the kind of elegant maiden Brook can't resist!"
Unbeknownst to her, high in the Tree of Knowledge's historical text library, Brook and Stussy were nestled together, softly embracing as they pored over a book.
"Brook, your body's getting warmer? That's amazing!" Stussy beamed, feeling his newfound heat. She flipped through a tome on the War Sprites, detailing an epic clash of lightning and fire.
"Focus on the book, and let's savor the moment!" Brook grinned, finally free to indulge in his colorful, cozy life. He guided Stussy through real combat techniques, breaking down the moves of North Blue warrior Avril, as detailed in the text.
Satisfied, Brook strolled out of the Tree of Knowledge and back to the Golden Ark. Stussy, meanwhile, headed to another library to dive into her studies.
...\
Soon, the crew spotted a bustling island. Brook rallied Redfield, Newgate, and the others, launching the Golden Ark's underworld vessel to soar out from Ohara's golden island.
Golden Lion Shiki kept steering Ohara-Golden Island toward their next target, while the Golden Ark barreled straight into the island's royal palace. They rounded up the entire royal family of this allied nation and sped off to the next kingdom without pause.
By the time the Hell Pirates reached Reverse Mountain, they'd captured the royal families of five allied nations. If the World Government hadn't acted swiftly, alerting other royals to flee, they could've nabbed even more.
Redfield pried the Navy Headquarters' Den Den Mushi number from the captive kings. Now, it was time to see how the World Government and Navy would play their hand.
Would they sacrifice these five royal families to crush the Hell Pirates? Or would they let the Hell Pirates slip back to the New World to save their allies? Either way, their prestige would take a hit—a fitting price for daring to block the Hell Pirates' path!
If they abandoned the five kings, the World Government's authority would crumble. Why would allied nations keep paying astronomical Heavenly Tribute for protection that never came?
On the other hand, if the Navy caved to the Hell Pirates' threats and let them go, their honor would be tarnished. Public trust would wane, and other pirates might copy the tactic, kidnapping royals to strong-arm the Navy.
Brook wouldn't have resorted to such a dirty play if he hadn't caught wind of the three admirals assembling to ambush the Hell Pirates. But his crew's safety came first—NPCs like these kings? He didn't lose sleep over their fate.
If Devo had stayed put in the New World and Kong hadn't rallied forces at Marineford, Brook would've wrapped up his business quietly and sailed back.
But with three admirals blocking their route, Brook wasn't confident the Hell Pirates, at their current strength, could return to the New World unscathed. Sometimes, you had to fight dirty.
...\
Antonio handed Brook a Den Den Mushi, already dialed to Navy Headquarters. Time for a heart-to-heart with Navy Fleet Admiral Kurotaka.
"Blub-blub-blub~"
"Hello, this is Marineford Communications. Operator 9527 speaking. Which nation are you from, and how can we assist you?"
Marineford's allied nation hotline was staffed by communications officer Stephen, his tone polite but formal, expecting a royal or high-ranking official.
"This is Brook, captain of the Hell Pirates. Patch me through to the Fleet Admiral's office now, or the five royal family members in my custody get tossed to the Sea Kings!"
Brook's voice boomed through the Den Den Mushi, startling Stephen so badly he nearly dropped the receiver. The Hell Pirates' captain, kidnapping five kings and calling to gloat?
"Please, don't harm the royals! I'll get the Fleet Admiral right away!"
Stephen bolted from the comms room, forgetting to transfer the call, and sprinted toward the Fleet Admiral's office with the Den Den Mushi in hand. Even Brook's crew could hear his frantic footsteps echoing through the line.
Moments later...
"Fleet Admiral, it's Brook from the Hell Pirates! Urgent call, sir!"
Stephen burst into the Fleet Admiral's office, interrupting Kurotaka, who was buried in paperwork, pen poised to chew out the unannounced intrusion. But the mention of Brook's name stayed his anger. He snatched the Den Den Mushi from Stephen's trembling hands.
"This is Kurotaka. You're Brook, huh? Your guts just keep growing, don't they? First, you slaughter Celestial Dragons, now you're kidnapping allied kings—and you've got the nerve to call me directly! Mark my words, I'll drag you and your crew to Impel Down in the name of justice!"
Kurotaka's patience had worn thin, frayed by days of headaches over the Hell Pirates' royal abductions. Brook's name alone was enough to set his temper ablaze.
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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg