One Piece: Hell Pirates

"A unique Den Den Mushi left behind by a mysterious organization, with many unidentified strong men inside, all trying to uncover the secrets of this world?" Brook said slyly to the young Golden Lion, Shiki.

"I got this from a ghost ship in the Florian's Triangle. This kind of Den Den Mushi is rare, and it only eats specific leaves. The strong men inside remain anonymous, so there's no way to know each other's identities."

"Something like that exists? But if they're strong, why hide so much?" Shiki asked, skeptical. He felt like Brook might be messing with him.

"See for yourself."

Brook handed a Den Den Mushi to Shiki. Fortunately, he had already erased the test messages beforehand. Brook had also used multiple Den Den Mushi to role-play on it, leaving Shakky and Antonio so stunned they didn't dare say a word.

Shiki, full of curiosity, examined the Den Den Mushi in his hands. It was indeed a species he had never seen before.

"Looks like this Den Den Mushi can only communicate through text, not voice calls," Brook explained. While most Den Den Mushi could be used for voice communication, this one only allowed new members to chat through text.

Picking up the Den Den Mushi’s screen, Shiki read through the chat messages:

[No. 5: That old bastard Im is trying to uncover my real identity again today.]

[No. 49: Hey, what is this?]

[No. 33: A new guy? And Im doesn’t even know about him? That guy is the king of the Celestial Dragons, a terrifying figure even the Five Elders bow to!]

[No. 9: Im is the ruler of the world and has been alive for 800 years. If he targets someone, even a pirate overlord is doomed! But with his power, he barely considers us worth noticing.]

[No. 49: What? There’s someone like that in the world? Living for 800 years?]

[No. 35: Who are you, No. 49? Are you famous in the seas?]

[No. 8: No. 49, don’t reveal your identity. A while ago, No. 44 bragged about being a pirate with a 1.5 billion berry bounty ten years ago, but now he’s mysteriously disappeared. Think carefully about your strength—there are terrifying people hiding in this world, all trying to escape Im’s pursuit!]

...

Shiki’s eyes widened in shock. A pirate with a bounty of 1.5 billion just vanished like that?

Still in his twenties, Shiki wanted to keep scrolling and check the chat history, but the Den Den Mushi suddenly shut off.

"What happened?" Shiki asked Brook, frustrated.

"This type of Den Den Mushi consumes a lot of energy. It can only stay active for half an hour a day unless you feed it leaves from the Treasure Tree Adam or the Sun Tree Eve. Right now, I’ve only been feeding it Yarukiman Mangrove leaves."

"So, do you want it? I only have two left."

"Brook, do you think this is real? It sounds unbelievable," Shiki said, finally calming down after the initial shock.

"Whether it’s real or not, as long as we don’t reveal our identities, there’s no danger," Brook reassured him, knowing that this might be too much for Shiki to digest all at once.

"That’s true. I can use it to gather information too."

Shiki immediately took the Den Den Mushi, carefully inspecting the little creature that had now gone into hibernation. He was already planning to search for Yarukiman Mangrove and Sun Tree Eve leaves.

"Brook, you still have one, right? What’s your number?" Shiki asked curiously. He assumed Brook must know the number assigned to his own Den Den Mushi and wanted to find out.

"I’m No. 18."

In front of Shiki, Brook pulled out his Den Den Mushi and started typing, demonstrating how it worked.

[No. 18: Do you think this year’s supernova, Golden Lion Shiki, has the potential to become a top powerhouse?]

After Brook sent the message, the chat went silent. Since there was no one active at the moment, all the members were probably using alternate accounts.

This only made Shiki more curious. Though he was arrogant, he still wanted to know what these anonymous strong men thought of him.

"Brook, I’m going to find the leaves this Den Den Mushi eats right now. That’s it for today’s sparring. Thanks for the Den Den Mushi. I hope you’ll really join my crew in the future."

Without wasting time, Shiki gathered his men and set out to search for the leaves of the Yarukiman Mangrove and the Sun Tree Eve.

...

"Captain Brook, did you really fool Golden Lion Shiki?" Shakky asked in disbelief. Just moments ago, she had watched Brook acting out an entire conversation with himself and thought he was just amusing himself.

"Do you think Im is fake?" Brook replied, expressionless, glancing at Shakky’s sarcastic smile.

"So it’s real? Someone’s actually lived for 800 years?" Shakky's eyes widened. Seeing Brook give a slight nod, she gasped, unable to believe it.

"Come on, let’s go back. You got your wish of seeing Shiki, the leader of the supernovas, today."

Brook took the lead, walking ahead, while Shakky quickly followed.

On the way back, Brook was already thinking about how to warn those at risk of exposing their identities. He had prepared to distribute these Den Den Mushi through Moore Thomas’s seagull news network while delivering newspapers.

But everything had to be done step by step. For now, the most important thing was becoming stronger.

Upon returning to the World Economic News Agency headquarters, Brook found Antonio still communicating through the Den Den Mushi, strengthening relationships with the other users.

"Antonio, record Golden Lion Shiki as No. 36. Leave the first 20 numbers empty. I only have No. 18, and I can change my prefix at any time. Try not to discuss this too much in the future."

Brook instructed his crew members, who knew the secret.

"Got it, Captain. I’ll handle it. You should feed it better food in the future!" Antonio responded, immediately passing Brook’s instructions to Den Den Mushi No. 18, ensuring everything was in order.

Brook then sought out Moore Thomas, asking for help locating certain pirate crews to see if seagulls delivering newspapers could also deliver the Den Den Mushi to them.

Moore Thomas readily agreed. Now that he was aligned with Brook’s camp, he would naturally do his best to assist him.

Looking at the familiar names on his list, Brook smirked. Perhaps some of these people would become allies.

Meanwhile, the Marines had already captured battle footage of the supernova Golden Lion Shiki and Brook’s fight, as well as images of Brook defeating the Bloody Fist Scaredo…

----

The next day, at the Sabaody Archipelago, the headquarters of the World Economic News Agency.

"Captain Brook, your bounty has been updated. Since you defeated Bloody Fist Scaredo without even fighting yesterday and went head-to-head with Supernova Golden Lion, your bounty is now 120 million berries. That also makes you the supernova with the lowest bounty."

Shakky said excitedly, clearly proud of her captain’s abilities.

"Looks like it's time to set sail and find some crew members!"

Brook decided that he was strong enough to return to the sea, and Moore Thomas had already sent people to Gaya Island to establish a base, preparing for the future relocation of the news agency’s headquarters.

Most of this year’s supernovas were still on the Grand Line, so he had to form his own crew as soon as possible.

That morning, after talking with Moore Thomas, they started gathering supplies and loading them onto the pirate ship docked at Tree No. 50. They brought the Eternal Pose and Den Den Mushi on board, and under the watchful eyes of Moore’s family, the three-man pirate crew set sail once more.

"Captain, is our first stop the fallen shipbuilding capital?"

As the navigator, Shakky was a little confused. After all, the strongest shipbuilders were now in the Sabaody Archipelago. The shipbuilding industry in Water Seven had declined over the years due to the tsunamis caused by the sea god, Akula Lagna.

It was only thanks to the sea train built by the fishman Tom that Water Seven regained its prosperity and restored its reputation as the shipbuilding capital.

"Yeah, they still have the most advanced shipbuilding technology."

Brook knew that the ancient weapon Pluton’s blueprints were in Water Seven. Tom should be in his thirties now, older than Roger. He wondered if Roger had already arrived in Water Seven to build the Oro Jackson.

Since Antonio was weak, Brook was responsible for setting sail and steering the ship, while Shakky handled weather observations on the Grand Line.

...

Meanwhile, Golden Lion Shiki had also gathered a large number of Yarukiman Mangrove leaves aboard his ship, but he failed to find any leaves from the Sun Tree Eve or Treasure Tree Adam—Brook had already taken them all.

After resting for a day, Golden Lion’s Den Den Mushi No. 36 finally recovered, allowing Shiki to remove its small screen and check the latest messages.

He wanted to see what these so-called powerhouses thought and needed to keep track of the discussions happening in the underground network.

[No. 18: Do you think this year's supernova, Golden Lion Shiki, has the potential to become a top powerhouse?]

[No. 15: A newcomer is a newcomer. No matter how strong, they’re still just a rookie. A little weakling who can’t even use Haki.]

[No. 9: The New World’s weather is even worse, and his Float-Float Fruit is dangerous in those conditions. If he enters the New World blindly, he might meet a disastrous end!]

[No. 6: The rising star of this era is Rocks D. Xebec. With his terrifying mastery of all three types of Haki, his monstrous Devil Fruit, and his overwhelming ambition, I predict most of the supernovas will join him—Golden Lion included!]

"What?! Me? Join someone else?! No way in hell! So what if it’s all three types of Haki? I’ll master them soon enough!"

[No. 44: Finally caught one! You criminals dare to investigate historical texts… One day, I’ll take you all down. I am an admiral of the Navy Headquarters. I—]

[No. 2: Den Den Mushi No. 44 has been terminated. Do not reveal your identity or threaten others. Otherwise, the Den Den Mushi in your hand will die, and you will lose access to the strongest circle.]

[No. 9: No. 2, you sound powerful. Are you some old relic that’s been alive for over a hundred years?]

[No. 2: A hundred years? I’m a rare species. I’ve lived for 256 years.]

...

Shiki widened his eyes in shock. "Whoa!" He stared at the now-dark Den Den Mushi, feeling slightly dazed. But recalling the comments about him, his determination burned even brighter.

"I refuse to believe it! I’ll become stronger—strong enough to match those guys! I’ll master all three types of Haki!"

After the Flying Pirates' ship was coated, Shiki set sail for Fishman Island, heading for the New World to challenge powerful opponents and learn how to wield all three types of Haki.

...

"Captain Brook, looks like we got blown off course by the storm."

Shakky said, a little embarrassed. However, Brook was also partly responsible—there weren’t enough people on board, and they hadn’t lowered the sails in time, which caused the navigation issues.

"No worries, we’ll adjust our course. Let’s dock at that island up ahead and take a break first."

Spotting an island nearby, Brook figured they might as well take a look.

"Understood, Captain."

Under their control, the pirate ship quickly entered the island’s port. It was a remote island, yet surprisingly populated.

Since Brook hadn’t officially formed a new pirate crew or raised his Jolly Roger, the islanders simply watched them with caution instead of driving them away.

As a skilled intelligence officer, Shakky appeared harmless and quickly gathered information about the island. There wasn’t much of note—except for some strange occurrences lately.

With a few berries to loosen tongues, Brook and his companions soon found themselves at the village center, where they shopped, ate, and observed the local customs.

"Grandma, I heard there have been some strange incidents on this island lately. Can you tell me about them?"

Shakky, with her short black hair and friendly tone, looked trustworthy and easy to talk to.

"You outsiders should leave while you can! There’s a monster that steals people’s memories. Many on this island have forgotten their friends—even their own children! It’s as if their memories were completely erased!"

The old woman gestured frantically, causing Antonio to instinctively hide behind Brook.

"A monster that eats memories?"

Brook recalled hearing about such a creature before. Who would’ve thought it had already appeared at this point in time? His curiosity piqued, he decided to stay on the island for a day to investigate.

Nearby, a small pond connected directly to the sea. Lurking beneath the water was a pink seahorse. Some time ago, it had looked up and caught sight of a migrating group of thousand-year-old dragons.

The sight sparked a dream within the creature—it wanted to become a flying thousand-year-old dragon itself. Using its abilities, it began devouring the memories of the islanders, slowly growing stronger.

One day, it planned to consume the memories of everyone on the island to evolve into a flying thousand-year-old dragon and soar freely in the skies.

As night fell and the humans slept, the creature leaped out of the pond, struggling as it flopped toward the village. As a sea creature, moving on land was difficult, but its hunger for memories drove it forward…

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