Brook sauntered back to the Golden Ark, his mind swirling with thoughts of that eerie moment when his Soul Reaper seemed to act on its own. If the Revive-Revive Fruit really had a consciousness, what would that mean for him?
Nearly all his powers stemmed from the fruit. If it ever gained a mind of its own and cut him off, how much strength would he have left?
The thought was too unsettling to dwell on. Brook shook it off, refusing to let it fester.
"Captain Brook! You're finally back! Now we can eat!"
Kaido's face lit up as Brook returned. The crew's officers had insisted on waiting for their captain before digging in, leaving Kaido's stomach growling for hours.
"Brook, where've you been, man? I even swung by the director's office looking for you! What took so long?"
Shakky didn't miss a beat, launching into her usual teasing. She wasn't worried about Brook getting into trouble—he was too slippery for that. No, her gripe was that he'd been off having fun without her, probably stumbling across some shiny new adventure and leaving her out of it.
"Nowhere special. Just up on the Tree of Knowledge, gazing at the moon. It's a full moon tonight, you know. Got a bit lost in the view and forgot the time!"
Brook plopped down at the table and started eating. Kaido, Fisher Tiger, and the others took it as their cue to dive in, tearing into meat and guzzling drinks with gusto.
"Full moon? Oh! I was flipping through the Animal Encyclopedia today, and guess what? There's a race that transforms under a full moon! I think they're called the Mink Tribe. We gotta recruit one, right, Brook? How cool would that be?"
Charlotte Linlin stuffed a massive chunk of cake into her mouth, grinning ear to ear. In less than a day, she'd already devoured most of that encyclopedia, her curiosity insatiable.
The Mink Tribe, rare beasts? Well, in the messed-up world run by the Celestial Dragons, even Fishmen were barely considered sentient—classified as plain old fish. Whoever wrote that book probably had World Government backing to slap such a label on entire races. Only someone with serious clout could've collected pics of so many species.
"The Mink Tribe? Sure, why not! Problem is, their homeland, Zou, is perched on the back of a giant elephant that's always on the move. Finding it's gonna be tricky for now."
"But mark my words, we'll track down Zou and bring the Minks into the fold. They're a warrior race, after all! Plus, there's a certain important Poneglyph stashed on that island."
Brook swallowed a hunk of meat, speaking slowly. His words piqued Redfield's interest, who mentally filed away the tidbit about Zou's Poneglyph.
"Sweet! Don't forget, Brook! We'll scoop up the whole Mink Tribe and make 'em part of our All-Nations dream!"
Linlin's eyes sparkled with excitement. Her vision of a utopia was growing, now including the Minks alongside Fishmen, Little People, Longarms, Longlegs, Snakeheads... and, if she had her way, Giants too!
"A ten-thousand-meter elephant? Seriously? Does a creature that big even exist?"
Shakky's tone dripped with skepticism. A five-thousand-meter Sea King was already the stuff of legends. A ten-thousand-meter elephant? What did it eat—entire islands' worth of forests? Or was it a carnivore, chowing down on giant Sea Kings for breakfast?
"Zunesha, stands thirty-five thousand meters tall. Its body above the sea alone tops ten thousand meters. It's been alive for over a millennium, existing long before the World Government was even a thing!"
Brook himself could hardly believe it. A creature that massive defied logic, even in the wild world of One Piece. What kind of bones—harder than steel by a thousand times—could support such a gargantuan body?
And yet, logic be damned, it existed. But how could something so colossal stay hidden? Any major power with decent scouts should spot it from miles away. Finding it ought to be a breeze.
Except, of course, that genius Oda decided it could only be located with a Vivre Card's guidance.
News Mortomas' seagulls had no trouble tracking down tiny, fast-moving pirate ships. But a thirty-thousand-meter elephant? Somehow, that was too sneaky.
A beast taller than most of the Red Line itself—where parts of the continent didn't even hit ten thousand meters, like at Reverse Mountain's rapids.
Heck, Sky Islands like Skypiea sat at ten thousand meters in the White-White Sea, with the White Sea at seven thousand. Did that mean a New World Sky Island could get smacked by a wandering elephant's trunk?
...
"Thirty thousand meters? Brook, you're full of it!"
Shakky leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"Fishman Island's ten thousand meters down. Sky Islands are ten thousand meters up. That's twenty thousand total, and you're trying to sell us on thirty-five? Just 'cause you command ghosts doesn't mean you can haunt us with tall tales!"
"I swear, I'd rather skip dinner, ditch sleep, and jump off the Golden Ark than buy your nonsense! Have some shame, man! Your heart's colder than a grave, lying to your own crew like that. Whatever happened to 'Hell Pirates don't scam Hell Pirates'?"
Shakky's rapid-fire roast left Fishman Tom howling with laughter.
"Gotcha, Captain Brook! You're finally on the receiving end!" Tom and the others had endured plenty of Shakky's barbs before, and seeing her turn on Brook was pure gold.
The rest of the crew bit their lips to stifle giggles. Kaido sprayed rice across the table, barely catching it with his hand. Fisher Tiger was worse—a noodle shot out his nose.
Golden Lion Shiki lit a cigar to hide his smirk, puffing furiously. Redfield suddenly found his wine glass fascinating, studying its reflection with a barely concealed grin. Even Stussy clutched her side, laughing so hard her "old wounds" flared up.
Brook's face darkened—well, as much as a skeleton's could. When they finally saw that elephant, he'd yeet this loudmouth off the ship himself to prove he wasn't bluffing!
"Fine, Shakky!"
Brook flashed a strained grin at Shakky, the self-proclaimed Grand Sea Trash-Talk Champion.
"Don't give me that creepy smile, Brook! I'm spooked!" Shakky clutched her chest dramatically. "But seriously, your tall tales are way out of line. Is it a crime to be honest around here?"
"Ugh, if telling the truth's a sin on this ship, then I'm the guiltiest pirate alive! Look at these snickering traitors—all dishonest, just like you, Brook, spinning yarns and blowing smoke!"
"So go ahead, Captain. Punish me, the lone beacon of truth!"
Shakky dragged the whole crew into her rant, spouting wild nonsense and tossing in some scandalous jabs for good measure.
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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg