The moment Redfield opened his mouth, the young prince couldn't take it anymore. Enraged, he launched the King's Punch, which had been charging for half an hour, straight at the Redfield smug face.
King Elizabello instinctively tried to stop him—but it was too late.
"Damn that brat!" he cursed in his heart. "He's going to ruin everything!"
Truthfully, if the Hell Pirates had merely promised not to plunder or raze the Kingdom of Prodence, King Elizabello would've handed over the King's Punch willingly—payment for survival. After all, if his people perished, what was the point of saving face?
Now, thanks to this hotheaded idiot, war was inevitable. Not only could they lose the King's Punch, but their kingdom's strongest warriors might fall—and with them, their entire legacy.
"Haha! So this is the so-called King's Punch? I've had stronger hiccups!" Golden Lion Shiki scoffed as he watched the shockwave ripple toward them.
Redfield didn't even blink. Raising his hand, he summoned a roaring Thunder Dragon, its electric scales crackling with lethal energy.
The King's Punch, hailed as a move capable of rivaling the Four Emperors, failed to even scratch Bartolomeo's Fruit. It was clearly overhyped—though still impressive. At the very least, it gave those without Devil Fruits a powerful ranged weapon. The destructive waves could tear down fortresses and send shockwaves through the battlefield—outclassing even the laser cannons of the Pacifistas.
Its only real flaw? Power directly tied to its charge time. It wasn't meant for fast-paced combat—better suited for sieges.
The two attacks collided. A massive explosion followed—but the energy from the prince's half-baked King's Punch fizzled out quickly. Redfield's Thunder Dragon splintered into dozens of lightning serpents, surging toward the royal family.
"King's Punch!!"
A chorus of shouts rang out as King Elizabello and several princes launched their own fully charged King's Punch shockwaves. At this point, with the first strike fired, there was no backing down.
"Senkiriya!"
Shiki refused to let Redfield hog the spotlight. Slashing the air, he unleashed a storm of golden, crescent-shaped sword waves that crashed into the King's Punch blasts like a hurricane of blades.
"Crow Thunder Cannon."
With a flick of his index finger, Redfield sent down a flock of lightning crows that exploded on impact. Together with Shiki's slashes, the combined assault obliterated the royal family's attacks with terrifying ease.
King Elizabello paled as he watched their strongest techniques fall like paper to flame. His pride was shattered—but worse, fear had taken over.
"We surrender!!" he cried, falling to his knees. "Your Excellencies are invincible! We're willing to hand over the King's Punch technique and two billion berries! Please, just spare our people!"
It was a dramatic display—but not fake. Like King Riku of Dressrosa, Elizabello was one of the rare rulers who genuinely cared for his people. And now, that devotion had driven him to humiliation to protect them.
"You moron," Shiki sneered. "Why should we spare you? Kill you, take your treasure—it's all ours anyway!"
His laughter was sharp and menacing, sending the Elizabello royals tumbling back in terror.
"Enough, Shiki," Redfield said, cutting him off. "We're not here to play with our food. Hand over the training manual and your Devil Fruits. And don't tell me you don't have even one—if you lie, we'll ransack your vault ourselves."
Time was short, and they had more kingdoms to hit. With Rocks drawing most of the World Government's attention, this was their window to steal—not slaughter.
"Tch. You heard him!" Shiki snapped, biting down on his cigar. "Take us to the treasury—or I'll float your palace into orbit!"
"Y-Yes, my Lords!" King Elizabello stammered, breaking into a cold sweat. Though shaken, he was grateful—these monsters weren't butchers, and they'd spared his people. Now, he just wanted to pay up and watch them leave.
—
Meanwhile, on the shores of Golden Island, sniper Hiruba scanned the horizon, eyes glowing with the Clairvoyance of the Glare-Glare Fruit.
"Captain Brook," he reported, "Admiral Coss Davo is on approach. Light escort, slow speed. Want me to take the shot?"
Brook, standing on deck with arms folded, didn't even flinch.
"If he dares charge us, we'll sink him. But it looks like he's deliberately dragging his feet—probably waiting for backup from Marineford. Let him stall. We're here to loot, not wage war."
The captain of the Hell Pirates remained as calm as a skeleton in a snowstorm—figuratively, of course. He may no longer be one, but that didn't make him any less cold-blooded when it counted.
Besides, Brook wasn't afraid of the average admiral. The only thing he truly feared… was the National Treasure—the mysterious weapon in Im's hands.
No one knew when the ancient ruler was watching. Perhaps Im slumbered for long stretches, only waking when the world truly shook. After all, Im didn't intervene when Rocks attacked the Valley of the Gods. Nor when Roger reached Laugh Tale.
Maybe he was sleeping. Maybe he simply didn't care.
After 800 years of history and the bloodshed of the Void Century, what were Rocks and Roger but noisy children to him?
—
Brook turned to face the sea.
"While Kong is still tied up in the first half of the Grand Line, we're going after that next island. It's time."
Their next target wasn't a kingdom, but something far more valuable: Punk Hazard.
A heavily guarded research facility once under World Government control, Punk Hazard housed the cutting-edge work of the world's greatest minds—including Vegapunk himself. Even now, some of that gear was worth hundreds of millions.
In the original timeline, the World Government stationed both Vegapunk and Caesar Clown on the island. Only after Caesar's experiments went sideways did they relocate Vegapunk.
Brook knew the story. On Punk Hazard, Vegapunk had once used Kaido's bloodline factor to create the first artificial Devil Fruit—later eaten by Kozuki Momonosuke. Gigantification experiments, early versions of the Seraphim—all of it started there.
Even Kaido's failed ancient giants? Big Mom once admitted they'd come from Punk Hazard too.
And now, this forbidden island—this treasure trove of science—would be claimed by the Hell Pirates.
Not to destroy, but to elevate.
To hand it over to the next generation of genius: young Vegapunk.
-------------------
Brook gazed toward Punk Hazard Island, his eyes glinting with excitement. There was no way the World Government had anticipated that he'd discover the location—and secrets—of their covert research base.
"Yohohoho~ That old man really tried to pretend he didn't have a Devil Fruit!" Brook chuckled, his voice brimming with mockery. "If Redfield hadn't seen through his little trick, we'd have been fooled by his pitiful old-man act!"
Golden Lion Shiki's laugh echoed across the sky as he landed with a thunderous boom. Not only had he plundered the treasure vault of the Kingdom of Prodians, but he also dragged back an entire luxurious building, basement and all, like a dog bringing back a stolen mansion.
"Brother Brook, don't blame me," Shiki said with a grin, kicking a cucumber-shaped Devil Fruit into Brook's hand. "Blame that King for being dishonest. We were willing to leave half the loot behind, but nooo~ He just had to stash away a Devil Fruit like we wouldn't notice!"
If time had allowed, Shiki might've hauled off the royal palace itself. But Brook was on a tight schedule, and Shiki didn't want to delay the next mission.
Brook held the strange Devil Fruit in his bony fingers, flipping through the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia for a match. "Hmm? This shape… this might be good!"
The Extension-Extension Fruit (Paramecia) — a Devil Fruit that allows the user to elongate any object they touch… except themselves.
"Ohhh, now this is interesting," Brook mused. "You could stretch a sword, a spear, a halberd—just like Monkey King's staff! Or like Pinocchio's nose when he told too many lies!"
He remembered now—this fruit had once belonged to the captain of the Longblade Pirates, a swordsman infamous in the New World for slicing ships in half from a distance. Apparently, the longer your weapon, the more destruction you could dish out… especially if your physical strength scaled with it.
"If Kaido ate this, would he be able to stab Marijoa from Wano?" Brook thought aloud, laughing. "Fujitora summons meteorites from space, so this isn't even the craziest thing anymore!"
Brook reverently placed the Extension-Extension Fruit into his growing collection, neatly stored aboard the Golden Island. His collection room sparkled with Devil Fruits of all shapes and colors, each one radiating untapped power. The sight filled him with a satisfaction so intense it was borderline obscene.
Octopus Siren Fruit. Bone Control Fruit. Target Lock Fruit. Barrier Barrier Fruit. Copycat Fruit. Corruption Fruit. Growth Growth Fruit.
The Rhinoceros Beetle Fruit had already been distributed. During the World Recruitment campaign, Brook had secretly rigged the process so that the new ruler of Beast Island received the fruit. Now he had transformed into the mighty Rhinoceros Beetle Chicken, a powerful hybrid and loyal ally.
Still, Brook couldn't help but feel a bit itchy… tempted. He even considered taking back the Seam-Seam Fruit that he had gifted to Gandalf, the leader of the dwarf tribe.
"I'm sick," Brook muttered to himself. "It's official. I've got… Devil Fruit Collection Syndrome!"
It was driving him crazy knowing there were powerful Fruits out there in other people's hands—his future treasures, damn it!
But Brook wasn't just hoarding. Every Devil Fruit had to be used properly. He needed the right users—the right crew, the right allies. Wasting power was unacceptable.
Now he finally understood why heroes loved raiding dragons and bosses. It wasn't just about glory. Those creatures always hoarded rare gear and gold. Kill the beast, take the loot. Rinse, repeat.
But Brook swore he'd never become a boss that got looted.
No—he would be the one doing the looting!
"Next stop… the Celestial Dragons of God Valley," he whispered, a wild gleam in his eyes. "They've gotta be richer than me… right? Their Devil Fruit stash must be enormous!"
His heart pounded.
No. Calm down. This is just the syndrome talking. Deep breaths.
He fondled the Extension-Extension Fruit like a prized jewel. "Ahhh~ So satisfying. I love Devil Fruits!"
---
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Prodence
The royal family of Elizabello stared blankly at the sky as Brook's flying fleet disappeared into the clouds. It felt like losing a parent—or more accurately, losing everything.
Their treasury? Gone.
Their Devil Fruits? Gone.
Their pride? Flattened like an old shoe.
But at least they were alive.
They'd cleverly tried to stash a few fruits, hoping to bargain. Their ploy didn't work, but luckily, it bought them mercy.
King Elizabello wiped cold sweat from his brow.
Too lucky… or were the Hell Pirates just that soft-hearted?
What he didn't realize was that Brook had a very specific philosophy: Never kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Why destroy a kingdom, when you can rob it again later?
This "harvest strategy" was fully endorsed by Shakky and Stussy, and eventually became a crew-wide tradition: Robbing was fine—but killing only enemies or hostile Devil Fruit users. The rest? Let them regrow their riches.
A sustainable, piratey business model!
---
Not long after, Admiral Coss Davo and his fleet finally arrived at the Kingdom of Prodence—far too late.
No smoke. No flames. No screaming civilians. Just stunned silence and empty vaults.
Coss Davo met with King Elizabello, who looked like he'd aged ten years. After hearing the full story, the Admiral's face went pale.
The World Government had no intention of reimbursing the loss. Nor could Davo hope to chase the Hell Pirates—they were too fast, using the Float-Float Fruit and Wind-Wind Fruit to fly like a phantom armada.
He offered empty words of comfort and hastily used the excuse of "pursuing the pirates" to flee the conversation.
Truthfully, he couldn't do a damn thing. Their warships couldn't catch up, and even if they could… they'd lose the fight. Brook's crew was too powerful, too clever, too fast.
"Admiral," said his aide, Tsunaaki, studying a sea chart. "The Hell Pirates seem to be heading toward Punk Hazard. Could that be their next target?"
Coss Davo stiffened. "No way… Punk Hazard's identity is top secret. It's just a normal island on the surface."
But even as he said that, doubt crept into his gut.
He immediately called the island's supervisor and dispatched an urgent transmission to Kong, who had been sent as reinforcements.
If Brook really knew about Punk Hazard… then the World Government had a problem far bigger than just stolen treasure.
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