Antonio hesitated briefly before reporting. "We haven't confirmed the name or background of this D-clan woman yet, Captain. Only that she's young—with black, curly hair."
Brook raised an eyebrow, his fingers tapping lightly on the railing. "Dark curls… could she be from the Marshall family?" he muttered. Truth be told, he knew little of the surviving D-lineages; the guess was just instinct.
Antonio straightened. "Brother Moore and I will investigate immediately. If she's tied to Rocks, we'll uncover it."
Brook nodded. "Good. I'm counting on you. If she truly is from the Marshall bloodline, that would make things interesting."
After Antonio departed, Brook fell silent. Rocks, consorting with a D woman? The man was nearing fifty. Was he really trying to sire an heir at his age? Then again, Gol D. Roger had fathered Ace in his fifties. Power often came with late ambitions.
Black Arm Zephyr married after becoming an admiral at thirty-eight. Monkey D. Dragon had fathered Luffy at thirty-six. Brook's grin turned faintly wicked. Could it be that Teach really is Rocks's spawn? Or did that Marshall woman steal his genes and create that freak herself?
His laughter echoed faintly. "Yohoho… knowing Oda, nothing's impossible. If he said Crocodile was a woman and Imu was worse, I might even believe it."
Brook shook his head and refocused. "Enough. Rocks can rot for all I care. First, we find the last red Poneglyph. Then, the Minks."
He knew Zunesha—the Elephant Lord—couldn't be tamed. The giant beast was bound to wander the seas, serving the punishment decreed upon it eight centuries ago. Still, if Shiki lent his floating power, they could possibly lift Zou from its back. Brook had no intention of chaining the creature—only of taking what was necessary.
If the Mink Tribe refused, he'd rely on Kozuki Oden's name to sway them. Recruiting a few of their warriors into the Hell Pirates would be enough. Leaving such powerful fighters untouched would be a waste.
As he pondered, the gentle sound of fins against deck reached his ears. Ariel approached, her golden tail glimmering, cradling the luminous egg in her arms.
"Lord Brook," she said softly, blushing, "please hold our daughter for a while. She seems calmer when you do."
Though flustered, Brook chuckled. "Alright."
He retracted his aura, his form softening into his living state, and took the egg. The surface pulsed faintly with divine energy—Poseidon's bloodline within.
Otohime… my adopted daughter, Brook mused. That makes Shirahoshi, the next Poseidon, my granddaughter. The thought almost made him laugh aloud.
Still, he couldn't ignore Neptune's existence. If the king's obsession with Ariel ever persisted, what would happen when Otohime grew older? Would fate repeat itself?
Brook felt the life inside the egg stir. The power radiating from it was immense—the same ancient will that commanded the Sea Kings. Poseidon's inheritance had already chosen its vessel. No matter who the father was, the prophecy would not fail.
The ancient Poneglyphs carved eight centuries ago had recorded the time and place of Poseidon's rebirth. Even Madame Shyarly's crystal ball could pinpoint it to the day.
Brook smiled faintly. "The Poseidon's return is inevitable. Even the Sun God Nika won't stop me from claiming what's mine."
··
For five days straight, the golden airship soared across the endless skies of the New World. With each hour, the heartbeat from the Vivre card grew faster—Zunesha was near.
During the voyage, a message arrived from Sabaody. The Hell Pirates' agents had successfully contacted two of the Celestial Dragon houses. Those aging nobles were desperate, scrambling to secure one of the rare Logia fruits from the World Government's vault to trade for pure gold.
All of it had to be done in secret—away from the Five Elders' eyes. Those men served directly under Imu, and even the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons feared crossing them.
Brook read the report and smiled. "Excellent. I wonder which Logia they'll risk for me."
Whatever it was—Magma, Light, or Ice—it would strengthen his forces further. With the right wielder, he could forge another admiral-level combatant overnight.
"Captain Brook!" the sniper Hiruba shouted from the observation deck. "I see it! The elephant! We'll reach it in half a day!"
Brook rose slowly, his shadow stretching across the deck. "Finally…"
Zunesha—the living titan punished by the gods eight centuries ago. The creature had roamed the world ever since, carrying Zou on its massive back. Even Imu, immortal and ageless, could not rival its years.
Through the spyglass, Brook saw it: a silhouette so immense it made islands look like toys. Zunesha's legs towered higher than the clouds, and its body stretched for over twenty thousand meters. The island upon its back—barely ten kilometers across—looked like a patch of moss clinging to a mountain.
"Thirty-five thousand meters tall…" Brook murmured. "Truly a god among beasts."
He remembered the stories: how Drought Jack, worth a billion berries, had been crushed in a single swing of Zunesha's trunk. Against such force, even the Four Emperors would be dust.
------------
The golden ship soared steadily through the skies of the New World. Before long, a massive shadow began to take form ahead—a shape so colossal it blotted out the clouds. Zunesha's enormous back rose into the heavens, the mountaintop-sized body hidden within layers of mist and sunlight.
Zou Island rested high above the sea, a paradise untouched by snow or thin air. It was neither freezing nor humid but perfectly temperate, a miracle of the world. That day, sunlight poured across the island's lush forests, glimmering over wet earth—remnants of the "Rain of Blessing" that had just fallen.
The Mink Tribe lived in peace upon Zunesha's back, sustained by the creature's gift. Twice a day, the Elephant Lord would raise its trunk and shower the island with life-giving water, keeping its soil fertile and green.
Down below, two members of the Musketeer Squad—gray-furred wolf minks—spotted the gleaming golden ship in the sky. Alarmed, one of them howled a sharp warning that echoed across the entire Mink.
The alarm spread instantly. Musketeers scrambled to their posts, warriors gripped their muskets, and the usually calm streets erupted into chaos. The last time such a howl had sounded, Zunesha's trunk had accidentally flung a massive Sea King onto the island, causing havoc and casualties.
On the golden ship, the Hell Pirates witnessed the spectacle as Zunesha sprayed another torrent of water high into the air. Korra, excited, clasped her hands together. "That's the Rain of Blessing! It's how the Elephant Lord nourishes Zou!"
Shakky wrinkled her nose. "So, you're telling me your people drink elephant spit?"
Korra's smile froze. "H-Hey! Don't say it like that!" she snapped, tail bristling. The others snickered quietly as her expression darkened further. "It's… it's sacred water!"
Brook tilted his head. "Yohoho~. Sacred or not, if that's seawater, shouldn't the whole island be dried up by now? How does it stay fertile? And do you really drink it? That's… quite the digestive system!"
Even his grin seemed to tremble with disbelief. The crew chuckled at his words.
"Captain Brook!" Korra huffed. "You're overthinking things! Our tribe's been living this way for centuries, and we're perfectly fine! Healthy even!"
Brook sighed dramatically. "Oda really has no sense of science…"
The others laughed again, shaking their heads.
"Forget the water," Brook said finally. "Let's prepare to land. Uju, make sure we've got enough food and drink on hand. I don't plan on tasting elephant… saliva."
The fat parrot butler Uju fluttered over, dressed impeccably in a black tuxedo. "Of course, Captain. The castle pantry is fully stocked. What would you like for the banquet?"
Stussy, lounging gracefully nearby with her pregnant belly, smirked. "Streusen and Uju will handle it. I expect something special. I'm eating for two now, after all."
"Yes, ma'am!" Uju saluted, while the chefs began preparing a feast fit for royalty.
Korra, who had hoped to offer the crew Zou's delicacies, looked crestfallen. She had imagined proudly sharing the island's traditional dishes, but after Shakky's blunt comments, she could only stand aside helplessly.
Shiki peered down through the clouds, his grin wide. "Looks like your friends are getting jumpy! They've got guns pointed at us already."
Brook's eyes narrowed. He could see dozens of armed minks gathering near the forest's edge—lions, wolves, bears, rabbits, and even a towering bull mink.
Korra panicked. "Please, Captain Brook! Let me go explain before someone does something stupid!"
Brook nodded. "Yohoho~. Go ahead. Tell them that Daimyo Kozuki of Wano has arrived. You've got half an hour—try not to start a war."
Korra leapt onto Hera, Brook's Somersault Cloud, and sped toward Zou, waving frantically to signal she came in peace.
The moment she left, Brook turned back to his crew. "Alright. Let's eat while we wait. Streusen! Bring out ten servings of grilled sea bream, twenty of sakura-spiced boar, and fifty of roasted eagle wings!"
He sat down with a flourish, his laughter echoing. "Yohohoho~! No point wasting time!"
If not for Shakky's crude remark, he might have actually tried the island's cuisine. Now, he couldn't shake the image from his head.
As the chefs served platters of steaming dishes, Brook sighed. "Out of sight, out of mind… There were plenty of shady street vendors in my old life, but I still ate their food. Better not to think too hard about it."
The others laughed and dug in, the aroma of grilled meat and spices filling the air.
Brook leaned back contentedly. To think I've come this far—from the depths of the underworld to dining above the clouds. Life truly is a strange song.
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