Beneath the howling winds conjured by Qilin Lion, Merveille—Omatsuri Island—sailed through the skies at breakneck speed.
The crew was abuzz with activity. Some lounged in leisure, others honed their skills with fierce determination, and then there was Kaido, the self-proclaimed masochist. No longer content with sparring against Scarlet, he'd set his sights on all four of the crew's top fighters. Every day, he was either getting pummeled or on his way to another thrashing, earning the nickname "Honey Badger" for his relentless grit.
Fisher Tiger watched Kaido's brutal training with a mix of awe and frustration. The guy got stronger with every beating! Tiger tried it himself, but his fishman durability and recovery were no match for Kaido's freakish endurance. Getting pounded into the deck just wasn't his path to power.
Seeing Kaido surge ahead stung. They'd both started as apprentice crewmen—why was Kaido so far ahead?
Brook, ever the wise captain, pulled Tiger aside.
"Your strength lies in the sea, not on land," he said. "Your Fishman Jiu-Jitsu and Karate are already top-notch. Keep refining them, and time will do the rest."
Kaido's beatdowns were on the verge of awakening Armament Haki, which only made Tiger greener with envy. Still, Brook's words grounded him. Compared to most fishmen and humans, Tiger's talent was exceptional—just not when measured against a monster like Kaido. Against someone like Antonio, he'd wipe the floor. Physically, he outclassed even Shakky, Scarlet, Silva, or Crocus. All he needed was time to grow.
Brook's mentorship painted a bright future: Tiger could rival Vice Admirals or even surpass Jinbe, the Sea Knight, with the Hell Pirates' training pushing him to new heights.
...
"Captain Brook! Fishman Island's sent an SOS! Ariel's been attacked by all sorts of weapons and taken some hits. They don't even know who's behind it!" Antonio's frantic voice shattered the island's rhythm as he burst into Brook's training ground.
The room was a chilling underworld, shrouded in ghostly mist and icy silence. A legion of spectral warriors turned their glowing blue eyes on Antonio, their gazes piercing. Were these ghosts thinking? Did they have minds of their own? The likes of Dawei, Sandy, and Brelco loomed among them, eyeing him like a slab of meat ready for carving.
"Uh, Captain Brook, could you, y'know, dial back the spooky stuff? These ghosts are giving me the creeps!" Antonio's legs wobbled.
I'm just a rookie, not ghost chow!
With a casual wave, Brook opened a Ghost Gate, and the spectral army marched back to the Yomi, vanishing.
"Weapons attacking out of nowhere? Hiding in the Hard-Shell Tower? Sounds like the Mark-Mark Fruit," Brook mused, sheathing his Shichiseiken.
The demonic blade had grown sharper, steeped in malevolent aura, Yomi ghost energy, and nether essence. Its sword spirit now rivaled the Merry's ship spirit in sentience, thanks to the souls it had devoured. Brook wondered if feeding it a Devil Fruit was possible. Could Vegapunk crack the code for objects to consume fruits?
In the original tale, only Zoan fruits worked for objects—like Mr. 4's dachshund cannon, Spandam's elephant sword Funkfreed. If Vegapunk couldn't unlock Paramecia or Logia fruits for objects, Brook would settle for a Mythical Zoan for Shichiseiken. But it had to fly—anything less was unworthy of his blade!
"Mark-Mark Fruit? You've already cracked the case, Captain?" Antonio's eyes sparkled. "That's why you're the boss! Smarter than Sengoku or Vegapunk! My admiration's like the Reverse Mountain currents—endless! Like Skypiea's Knock-Up Stream—unstoppable!"
Antonio's flattery was a well-honed art. He knew Brook secretly loved the praise, even if he played it cool. A happy captain was a generous captain, maybe even generous enough to lend out his exclusive princess photo collection—a one-of-a-kind treasure from Mortomas, head of the Economic News Agency, compiled through underworld intel.
Sure enough, Brook's mood lifted. Mortomas's gift had earned him a soft spot in Brook's heart, and his adopted son Morgans, barely three, was already training under Brook's watchful eye to become a skilled fighter and heir to the news empire. With the Umi Family dominating underground shipping, Mortomas was close to monopolizing the underworld's intel network in the New World, though the Four Seas and Grand Line still needed work to crush the Peace Dove News Agency.
"This fruit's been on my radar, and now it's come knocking. Let's move—call a meeting, split up, and head to Fishman Island!"
Brook was ready to dive back into Fishman Island for two reasons: to protect Ariel, a Hell Pirates apprentice no one could mess with, and to claim the Mark-Mark Fruit, which had potential he couldn't ignore.
...
The crew quickly set their plan. Fisher Tiger and Tom, the fishmen, were obvious picks for the mission. Shakky, Shiki, Newgate, and Qilin Lion stayed behind to guard Merveille-Omatsuri Island as it sailed back to the New World.
The Golden Ark, their gleaming airship, charted a course for the Sabaody Archipelago, the gateway to Fishman Island's depths.
At Sabaody, word of the Hell Pirates' return sent the Celestial Dragons scurrying back to Mary Geoise. They hadn't dared set foot in the archipelago since Brook's infamous claim that their blood could fertilize a Devil Fruit tree to recycle powers.
That rumor had shifted the tides. Commoners no longer cowered before the Dragons, and bold pirates even attacked them, hoping to drain their blood and trade it for a Devil Fruit tree seed from Brook's crew. The Dragons' divine aura was fading, replaced by fear.
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg