Everyone found themselves staring at Brook's distinctive afro with a mixture of amazement and relief. If his hair roots weren't extraordinarily resilient, an ordinary skeleton wouldn't be able to maintain such an impressive hairstyle. More importantly, skeletal hair was essentially a non-renewable resource—if Brook ever went bald, there would be no way to grow it back.
"Well, it just so happens that now that you've joined us, we're planning to head back anyway," Jerry said, patting Brook's arm. There was no helping his height disadvantage—he was several dozen centimeters shorter than the skeleton musician and couldn't reach his shoulder without jumping.
"Even though we haven't completed a full circuit of the Grand Line yet, we can visit Laboon first and stop him from hurting himself. In the future, if you travel with us, we might not just sail around the Grand Line—we could explore all four seas as well."
"Yohohoho! That's wonderful! I'm so happy today that even though I'm exhausted, please allow me to play a song for everyone later!"
Brook hurried back to his original ghost ship to collect his few remaining possessions. When he returned carrying his violin, he immediately began playing and singing with obvious joy.
"Yoho ho ho ho..."
The melody was filled with Brook's infinite happiness and renewed hope. After waiting nearly fifty years in darkness and despair, he could finally see light at the end of the tunnel.
The morning sun brought the latest newspapers as always, delivered by News Coo seagulls across the world's oceans.
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stared down at the front page with obvious frustration. "Of course nothing good happens when pirates return from the New World," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
"The World Government finally convinced Bartholomew Kuma to join the Seven Warlords, and now another Warlord has been defeated."
Sengoku thought back to his recent conversation with the Five Elders, their displeasure obvious even through the Den Den Mushi connection. He looked up at Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had come to his office to discuss the morning's developments.
"Gion's pursuit team has departed, hasn't it?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded in confirmation. "They're at the port and will be setting sail shortly. She wanted to leave immediately after receiving orders yesterday, but had to spend extra time transferring her previous assignments to other officers."
The delay had been frustrating but necessary. Unfortunately, even that brief period had been enough for Jerry's crew to make headlines again with their defeat of Gecko Moria.
"Good. Tell them to maintain close pursuit," Sengoku ordered with a weary sigh. "The World Government has specifically requested that we keep closer tabs on this crew's activities."
The relationship between Marine Headquarters and the Seven Warlords had always been complicated at best, but the World Government insisted on maintaining the system despite its obvious flaws. After struggling to fill the Warlord ranks following recent departures and defeats, Moria's loss made their selection process look like a complete joke.
Sengoku knew the Five Elders were particularly irritated by this development. Not long ago, Bartholomew Kuma had agreed to serve as a Warlord shortly after Ace's refusal of the same position. The timing of these events was creating exactly the kind of political headache that Sengoku despised dealing with.
Meanwhile, aboard the Black Star Pirates' ship, the crew was enjoying lunch while reading through the latest bounty updates and news reports.
"Everyone's bounties have increased by quite a bit," Skull observed cheerfully, comparing the new wanted posters to their previous versions.
"Makes sense, considering Moria's status as one of the Seven Warlords," Deuce replied thoughtfully. "Defeating someone directly affiliated with the World Government tends to get their attention."
Despite being located in the dangerous and supposedly impenetrable Florian Triangle, Morgans' reporters had somehow managed to gather firsthand information about their victory. The News Coo network's efficiency was both impressive and slightly concerning.
Deuce, Skull, and Carina had each seen their bounties increase by several million berries, while Jerry and Ace had received much more substantial boosts of tens of millions each.
"This isn't fair!" Carrot protested loudly, her mouth still full of carrot as she spoke. "Why do Kotatsu and I still have tiny bounties while everyone else gets these huge numbers?!"
"Uh... Carrot, you're probably still too young for the World Government to consider you a major threat," Jerry replied diplomatically, reaching over to pat her head gently. "Don't worry about it—your time will come."
The head pat immediately transformed Carrot's mood from indignant to delighted. "Hehehe! You're right, Brother Jerry! I'll just have to work harder!"
"Carrot, please don't always believe everything that fisherman tells you," Carina said with exasperation. While the young mink usually listened to her advice, she seemed powerless against Jerry's casual manipulations.
Brook looked up from examining the newspaper and bounty notices with obvious amusement. "Yohohoho! Speaking of bounties, I suppose I'm quite the veteran pirate myself."
There was no new bounty posted for Brook, likely because he had only recently joined the crew. More importantly, the World Government probably couldn't immediately connect his current skeletal appearance with the pirate he had been nearly fifty years ago.
Jerry glanced around the increasingly crowded dining area, noting how much livelier the atmosphere had become as their crew continued to grow. "We're definitely going to need that bigger ship at Water 7. This borrowed ship is getting way too cramped for our needs."
Carina smiled mischievously at his choice of words. "Borrowed? Haha! So when exactly are you planning to return it?"
Jerry adopted a mock-serious expression, though his eyes glinted with mischief. "I borrowed it with my own abilities, so why should I return it? Besides, the pirate I borrowed it from has already been fed to the fish. Should I burn the ship and send the ashes to his grave?"
Brook, curious about this exchange, quietly asked Skull for the story behind their current ship. Only then did he learn about their acquisition method during their escape from Big Mom's territory.
Ignoring the ongoing banter, Deuce demonstrated his typical thoroughness by sharing his research. "Water 7 is supposed to be a large, prosperous city famous throughout the world for its shipbuilding industry. Even the World Government commissions their warships there."
Ace, having finished his meal with characteristic speed, immediately focused on the most important concern. "So what kind of food do they have? Is there anything special worth trying?"
"Food-wise, I believe Water 7 is famous for something called 'Water-Water Meat,'" Deuce replied uncertainly, clearly not entirely confident in his culinary knowledge. "Though I might not have the name exactly right."
"Oh! You mean Aqua Laguna pork!" Skull corrected enthusiastically. "It's incredibly tender and flavorful—definitely leaves an unforgettable impression!"
Jerry raised an eyebrow with interest. "So you're saying it's particularly... succulent?"
Skull nodded emphatically. "Absolutely! Very juicy indeed."
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