The Hell Pirates' journey took them past Little Garden, the ancient island teeming with prehistoric beasts. They stopped to stock up on dinosaur meat, leaving the island echoing with roars and chaos in their wake.
Next, they swung by Drum Island, picking up cutting-edge medical equipment and a stack of the latest medical texts to bolster their supplies.
From there, the Ohara-Golden Island soared toward Skypiea. Passing over Alabasta, Brook and Redfield took the Golden Airship down to the capital. They handed over a captive royal from an allied kingdom to the Alabastan king.
Redfield, with his knack for reading minds, probed the king's thoughts. Then, with a burst of Conqueror's Haki, they knocked out everyone in the palace. Brook and Redfield slipped into the royal tomb and swiped a Poneglyph.
Another Poneglyph lay hidden in the desert, but Brook didn't have time to chase it down. They hightailed it out of the capital and back to Skypiea.
This Poneglyph, inscribed with secrets of Pluton, was too critical to hand over to the archaeology scholars just yet. Brook stashed it beside the massive golden bell, next to the Poneglyph detailing Poseidon.
...
When the Alabastan king and the kidnapped West Blue royal awoke, they frantically reported the incident to Navy Headquarters. By then, the Ohara-Golden Island had vanished into Skypiea's White-White Sea.
Most of Shandora's gold had already been relocated to the Golden Island. Mortomas left a branch of the World Economic News Agency in Skypiea, but moved the seagull breeding hub to the Golden Island. The agency's headquarters was shifting to the New World!
Thanks to Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, the move was a breeze. Mortomas brought his veteran staff to the New World, leaving a skeleton crew to run the Shandora branch.
A handful of Skypieans opted to follow the news agency to the New World's sky island. The relocation took a full day, and Mortomas, along with his wife and kid, settled into the lord's manor on the Golden Island.
Vegapunk snipped a chunk of Shandora's giant vine, planning to cultivate one in the New World. The vine's quality rivaled the Tree of Knowledge, promising immense value.
The Ohara-Golden Island didn't linger long. Laboon, the 20-meter island whale, was settled into a freshly dug pond on the island. Finally able to join Brook in the New World, Laboon endured the cramped pond with no complaints.
With everything set, the Ohara-Golden Island pressed onward. Near the Water 7, Brook dropped off another allied kingdom royal.
...
Fishman Tom headed to Water 7's shipyard, slipping a hefty stash of gold to Master Jelly. He left the Hell Pirates' flag with him as a token. With Redfield's help, Tom scouted two clean-background shipwrights to take on as apprentices, bringing them back to the Golden Island to learn sea train tech.
Old Jelly never saw Brook but had a hunch it was him who'd swiped the Pluton blueprints years ago. He kept quiet, knowing better than to stir trouble.
He figured Brook would share the blueprints with Tom for study but prayed Brook wouldn't use Pluton to wreck the world.
...
The Ohara-Golden Island sailed on, while Navy Headquarters launched a multi-day purge of spies and traitors. The sweep uncovered a slew of corrupt officers, some peddling intel to underground networks.
Greedy sailors had been selling high-value data—naval admirals' movements, mission details, personnel shifts—for a pretty penny.
Furious, Navy Fleet Admiral Kurotaka executed several high-ranking officers on the spot. The rest were dragged to Impel Down for a taste of hellish punishment.
"Brook's already released two allied kingdom royals," Kong fumed. "They've passed Water 7 and are heading for the Sabaody Archipelago. Are we really letting them waltz back to the New World?"
Kong was itching for payback against the Hell Pirates, but this spy fiasco had turned the tables, forcing the Navy to clean house instead.
"What about the three allied royals still in their hands? Are we sacrificing them?"
Chief Strategist Darian's face was stone-cold. He and Kurotaka were caught in a bind. The Five Elders demanded the royals' safety, but the Saint Rosward Celestial Dragon family, mourning a fallen kin, screamed for blood.
How could a few allied kings' lives outweigh avenging a Celestial Dragon?
The World Government's Five Elders and the Rosward family were at odds, leaving Kurotaka in a no-win situation. He had to follow his direct superiors' orders, sidelining the Celestial Dragons' demands—for now.
The result? Daily tongue-lashings from the Roswards. Kurotaka and Darian gritted their teeth, playing punching bags for the Celestial Dragons' wrath.
"Head to Sabaody and prep to rescue the royals," Kurotaka ordered, slumping in his chair. "If Brook goes back on his word, strike hard. No mercy, no arrests—just kill them on sight!"
The pressure from the World Government and the Celestial Dragons' tantrums had worn him down. He was half-ready to retire and pass the Fleet Admiral's hat to someone else. Being Navy Fleet Admiral wasn't the dream job he'd imagined!
"Understood!"
The three admirals boarded their custom warships and set sail for Sabaody, awaiting the Hell Pirates' arrival.
...
The Hell Pirates split up. Shiki piloted the Ohara-Golden Island, guided by navigator Shakky, skirting the Calm Belt's edge to cross the Red Line into the New World.
Meanwhile, Brook, Redfield, Newgate, and Linlin took the Golden Ark into Sabaody's waters. Near the archipelago, Fishman Tom began coating the Ark for a deep-sea dive.
Their next stop: Fishman Island, to nab two more Poneglyphs!
Once coated, the Golden Ark brazenly entered Sabaody Archipelago. Despite the menacing aura of the three admirals, Brook's crew pulled up to the coast, stuffed the three remaining allied royals into a prepared dinghy, and tossed it toward the admirals.
Two admirals scrambled to save the shrieking royals. Kong, using Geppo to leap skyward, lunged at the Ark—only to freeze as it plunged into the sea, already coated, diving toward Fishman Island 10,000 meters below.
Kong's face twisted like he'd swallowed a lemon. Brook had kept his word, returning all five allied royals unharmed, but the Navy still took a gut punch, missing their shot at the Hell Pirates.
Next time they crossed paths, who knew how much stronger the Hell Pirates would be? Beating them in the New World seemed like a pipe dream.
Unless, of course, the Hell Pirates and the Rocks Pirates tore each other apart, leaving the Navy to swoop in for the scraps.
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+280 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg