Everything was set. If Brook had a golden statue, he'd probably have offered a prayer to the gods for good luck!
"Alright, the grand 'blessing' ceremony is over. Time to feast!" Brook declared with a flourish.
"Redfield, dive into their memories. Linlin, siphon off some soul lifespan. Memory Seahorse, chow down on their past. And Shakky, go get yourself a taste of that premium blood!"
Over the past couple of days, the three captives had been fattened up just enough. Even Dawei, a seasoned overlord, was stunned by Brook's theatrics and the crew's cocky displays, though he refused to flinch at Linlin's soul-stealing chants. Conqueror's Haki didn't bow so easily!
But when he saw his lover Calypso's soul lifespan and memories devoured, followed by Shakky draining her blood, Dawei lost it. He thrashed against his bonds, only for Brook to knock him out cold. Linlin couldn't extract his soul lifespan—not yet.
Once Shakky had her fill of Dawei's blood, the weakened trio, still bound in Seastone chains, took a fatal sword thrust from Brook to their vitals. He swiftly tossed them into a Seastone-lined chamber, sealed the hatch, and submerged it in seawater.
Now, it was a waiting game. The crew buzzed with nervous excitement. Soon, Dalma and Calypso's souls drifted out, harvested by Brook and transformed into his generals. Apparently, souls didn't care about Seastone or seawater.
Half an hour later, Dawei's formidable soul finally emerged, and Brook let out a relieved chuckle.
"Phew! Thought I'd have to double-tap that guy. Stabbing a heart and still not killing him? That'd be embarrassing!"
Imagine the shame if he couldn't finish off an unconscious, Seastone-bound captive—Shakky would roast him for a decade!
Even with their deaths confirmed, Brook didn't rush to open the Seastone chamber. Who knew if those "devils" were lurking inside, ready to bolt the moment the door cracked?
...
After half a day, Brook sent two crewmates to dive into the pool and pry open a sliver of the chamber's seal, letting seawater flood in. The goal: compress the space and force the "devils" to reincarnate into the prepared fruits.
If this didn't work, Brook was ready to call it quits. All that time and effort down the drain—but what a grand experiment! That massive, high-purity Seastone chamber wasn't cheap, worth billions of Belly. Recycling it into something else might recoup some losses, but still!
"Forget it. Let's throw a banquet and check the results once the seawater fills the chamber!"
Brook eyed the slow trickle of water through the crack. It'd take a while, so might as well eat. The rest was up to fate.
Even with Head Chef Streusen whipping up a feast, the crew barely touched their plates, their eyes darting to the seawater pool and the Seastone chamber.
Stussy, in particular, was restless. She craved a flying Devil Fruit to soar alongside Shakky and Linlin. The Siren Fruit, a Mythical Zoan no less, was perfect for her!
And after witnessing Dawei's power, who wouldn't want the Mythical Zoan Octopus Siren Fruit? Even Silva, the sharpshooter, was tempted. Sure, it suited close-quarters fighters better, but picture him wielding eight sniper rifles, pistols, cannons—talk about a one-man arsenal!
Ship doctor Crocus had similar thoughts. Eight tentacles for experiments? A scientist's dream!
Scarlet from Shiki's crew, didn't dare hope too much. But deep down, he yearned for the Mythical Zoan's power to keep up with the crew's heavy hitters.
In Brook's mind, the Octopus Siren Fruit was made for a brawler. Fisher Tiger, that promising young fishman, was his top pick—tons of potential! But like Tom, Tiger flat-out refused Devil Fruits, wanting to swim free as a fish.
It was like being offered ten billion Belly to live in the hottest African desert without air conditioning. Tough choice!
The rest of the crew didn't quite fit the fruit's vibe. Scarlet was diligent and honest, but his talent was average. His Bloody Fists style could maybe evolve into an Eight-Fist Flow, not quite Dawei's Eight-Sword Style but still respectable for a Mythical Zoan.
If Beasts Kaido, that Oni kid, were on the ship, he'd be a solid match for the fruit's melee prowess. Speaking of Kaido, he'd be about eight years old now, right? By age ten, he'd be the Vodka Kingdom's strongest soldier!
Had he already enlisted? Word was, Kaido joined the kingdom's ranks at eight. Brook had tasked World Economic News Agency with tracking him down.
The World Government and Marines were already eyeing rare races like Kaido's Oni for their raw power. At thirteen, Kaido would be sold by Vodka's king to the Marines for a seat at the World Conference.
Refusing to be a political pawn or a Celestial Dragon's lapdog, Kaido would spend two years escaping and getting caught, racking up a 70-million-Belly bounty. By fifteen, he'd wash up on Hachinosu, where Rocks' Whitebeard Newgate would recruit him into the Rocks Pirates in a heartbeat.
"Guess when we swing by the West Blue for the Castle Fruit and raid Ohara for ancient texts, we'll hunt for Kaido too," Brook mused. "Can't let a talent like that slip to someone else!"
...
Dinner wrapped up, but the crew's minds were elsewhere, buzzing with anticipation for Brook's Devil Fruit recycling experiment.
Under the glow of countless Lamp Dials, the night was as bright as day. The Seastone chamber, now fully submerged, was ready. Waiting longer wouldn't change a thing.
Brook ordered the crew to hoist the chamber from the deep pool, tilt it, and slowly crank open the mechanism. A flood of blood-tinged seawater poured out, stained with the captives' blood.
The trio's corpses, pale and bloated, were hauled out. Brook waved a hand, directing the crew to recover the Seastone chains and give the bodies a proper burial on Puso Island—a fitting send-off for overlords.
Now came the moment of truth: the blind-box reveal. Crewmates lugged out crates packed with assorted fruits, sealed tight to let seawater in. No gaps for the "devils" to linger in the air—Brook had thought of everything.
Muttering a quick prayer for luck, Brook popped open the first crate.
He rummaged through, heart pounding despite being long dead. At the bottom, a familiar swirl caught his eye, sending a jolt through his bony frame.
"Yohohoho!"
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+188 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg