When Charlotte Linlin mentioned returning to the Grand Line to find the Hell Pirates, Streusen was furious. He immediately suspected that the person behind this Den Den Mushi call was from that damned pirate crew!
Wasting no time, he gathered information about the Hell Pirates. Captain Brook's bounty was only 200 million berries—how could that compare to Charlotte Linlin's 550 million?! They actually had the nerve to invite Linlin to join their crew? They should be grateful if she didn't destroy them!
"I saw it with my own eyes—Linlin's hunger fit broke out, and she devoured Sister Carmel and those orphans. How the hell could Carmel still be alive?"
"Linlin, this Brook must be an imposter pretending to be Sister Carmel! Don't be fooled! You're much stronger than him now—you don't need to join them!"
Streusen was determined to expose Brook's deception. If this guy dared to show his true colors, Streusen would personally cut him down!
"What?! You dare say that MAMA is fake?!"
Charlotte Linlin's bloodshot eyes burned with rage as she grabbed Streusen by the collar. She wouldn't allow anyone to speak ill of Mama Carmel ! She had sworn to fulfill Mama's dream—to join the Hell Pirates, build a true family, and create a world where all races could live in harmony!
"Linlin, Sister Carmel is dead! I saw it with my own eyes! This person must be a fraud!"
Streusen desperately tried to reason with her, hoping to dissuade her from going to the Grand Line. But he still couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth—that she was the one who had eaten Carmel.
"Damn you!! You dare curse Mama to death?! UNFORGIVABLE!!!"
Charlotte Linlin let out an ear-piercing shriek, her voice rippling through the air like a tidal wave. The sheer force of it shook the ground beneath them. She squeezed Streusen so tightly that his vision blurred, his eyes bulging as blood trickled from his nose and mouth.
"Lin... Lin... I... Sister Carmel... I can help you find them~"
Feeling his bones about to shatter, Streusen had no choice but to play along, forcing out the words between gasps.
"Don't ever talk badly about Mama again—or next time, I'll really kill you! Now, make me something to eat and find me a route to the Grand Line!"
Finally, Charlotte Linlin calmed down, releasing Streusen. After all, he was her personal chef and navigator.
"Cough... cough..." Streusen wheezed, barely able to stand. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything else. I'll make you something delicious right away!"
Forcing a smile, he turned toward the kitchen. But inside, he was boiling with rage.
Damn this ungrateful brat! I've spent ten years taking care of her, and now she nearly kills me for a con artist? He wiped the blood from his face, his expression dark.
Brook… you bastard… I'll make you pay for this tenfold! And Linlin—you'll never escape my grasp. You're nothing but a man-eating monster!
Streusen stormed into the kitchen and chopped down a tree. Using his Cook-Cook Fruit powers, he transformed the wood into slices of meat, making it look colorful and appetizing.
But before he could serve it—
"Streusen! Didn't I tell you not to feed me anything made from a Devil Fruit? It has no taste at all! Where's the treasure we stole? Let's go have a real feast!"
Charlotte Linlin scowled at the food in disgust. She wanted real, high-quality delicacies—not some Devil Fruit illusion!
"Linlin, we already spent all the treasure from our last raid. You ate it all! If we don't go out to sea and plunder again, we'll be completely broke!"
Streusen sighed, frustrated by her insatiable appetite. At first, he had used their stolen treasures to pay for her meals, but later, he'd simply had her destroy the restaurants after she ate. Wherever they landed, chaos and destruction followed—that's why her bounty had skyrocketed so quickly.
Of course, Streusen wasn't foolish. While he let her believe they were always out of money, he secretly hoarded vast amounts of treasure for himself. Every time Linlin demanded to see their loot, he'd show her only a small portion, making her believe it was all gone. That way, she'd always agree to raid again.
"Really? Why do I go through our loot so fast? Didn't I smash up a tavern last time?"
Charlotte Linlin frowned, counting on her fingers. She was a powerhouse, but when it came to anything outside of food and Mama Carmel, she was still just a clueless girl.
"That's right, Linlin! And don't forget—the fancy new clothes and hat you wanted cost a fortune! Not to mention the rare cake you ate last time—it was ridiculously expensive!"
Streusen continued his deception with ease. He had been doing this for years. Just thinking about the mountains of treasure in his hidden stash made him giddy.
I raised Charlotte Linlin all these years for this exact reason—to use her strength to amass wealth! And now, that damned Brook wants to take her away? Over my dead body!
"Alright then! Let's set sail and plunder some more! I need to prepare a gift for Brook!"
Charlotte Linlin grinned, clearly pleased with her own thoughtfulness. Without hesitation, she grabbed Streusen and dragged him onto a stolen pirate ship, setting sail for the nearest island.
Streusen face darkened. She was already thinking about Brook?
"Brook… I'll kill you!!!" Streusen clenched his fists, his teeth grinding in rage.
---
Meanwhile, on a nearby island, Edward Newgate stood at the port, watching as the Lion Pirates' ship vanished into the horizon. Captain Ryan had left him there after accepting some berries and treasure from him.
As he stood there, Newgate couldn't help but feel a mix of disappointment and excitement. He had left his old crew behind—now he had a chance to carve his own path. Was this what it meant to be part of a true pirate family?
The tall man adjusted the black cloth tied around his blond hair. He wore a simple, open-chested vest, black trousers secured by a gray belt, and carried a small bag over his shoulder as he walked into town.
As a pirate, he rarely spent time on land. Most of his life had been spent sailing, raiding, and indulging in food, drink, and revelry. But now, he had a different goal.
He wandered through the town, inquiring about any passenger ships heading toward the Grand Line. If he could hitch a ride with a merchant vessel, he could finally return to his homeland in the New World.
Come to think of it, he had never been to the Grand Line before—let alone the legendary Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters below the sea!
I hope that golden spaceship mentioned is real. If it is, the future will be incredible.
----
With the full cooperation of the Sky Kingdom staff, the golden spaceship was constructed at an astonishing speed. Once the lightning storage container from Birka Island was installed, a deep mechanical roar echoed through the air.
The spaceship was powered by nearly a thousand wind shells on both sides, while Redfield charged hundreds of lightning shells connected to the storage containers. This was nearly the entire stockpile of air shells from Sky Kingdom.
As Fishman Tom pressed the takeoff button, the massive propeller wings spun rapidly, and the golden spaceship lifted off before the eyes of everyone present.
Brook was beyond excited—he could barely believe that such advanced technology in this world could actually make a warship of this size fly!
"Captain Brook! With the lightning storage container and the power of 120 thunder shells, even without Redfield's recharge, the ship can stay airborne for half a month!"
This came at a great cost, though. If they had the Moon People's technology, the spaceship could likely stay in the air for even longer. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth it for them to come down from the moon to Sky Island just to gather enough electricity for a few weeks of flight!
The golden spaceship shone brilliantly, illuminated by Sky Island's light shells at nearly every corner. Kitchen appliances were powered by heat shells and fire shells, while the bathing facilities were equipped with water shells.
Brook looked at the sound shells, noticing that every crew member wanted to record the songs they played so they could listen to them in their rooms. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry—he had almost forgotten that he used to be a famous musician in his past life.
"Maybe I should go back to my old gig," Brook mused. "Or maybe I can 'borrow' some famous tunes from Earth… something emotional, powerful, and unforgettable."
Meanwhile, Shakky had been learning a great deal about sailing through the Grand Line and New World from the old meteorologists of Visalia. She even mastered techniques like using Wind Knots.
These veteran weathermen were furious when they realized Shakky had loaded several weather ships onto the golden spaceship. These ships were crucial to Visalia, serving as their primary means of transportation, allowing them to descend to the Blue Sea for supply runs and intelligence gathering.
Each weather ship was equipped with technology capable of generating natural weather phenomena—strong winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms—making them valuable both for travel and as defensive weapons.
The main cannon of the golden spaceship was designed by Sniper Hiruba and Fishman Tom, incorporating design concepts from the ancient weapon, Pluto.
Unlike Golden Lion's flying fleet, which relied solely on wind, the Eternal Voyager had both a lightning propulsion system and a wind shell propulsion system. However, in extreme weather, it would still have to descend to sea level and sail traditionally.
Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit only allowed his pirate fleet to hover in the air; it still needed wind to move forward, and the oars on his ships weren't very effective. This meant his biggest weakness while flying was dealing with stormy weather!
Of course, a grand banquet was held to celebrate the completion of the new ship, but it still needed a name. Since the Voyager had been dismantled for parts, the crew agreed that the name didn't quite suit the new golden spaceship's grandeur.
Besides, it was rare for new ships to inherit the names of old ones—just like how the Straw Hat Pirates went from the Going Merry to the Thousand Sunny.
Brook finally decided to name it Erebus. Wherever Erebus sailed, their enemies would tremble in fear!
"In the future, Erebus will be more famous than Uranus, Pluto, and Poseidon combined!" Brook declared.
"Congratulations on the completion of the golden spaceship, Erebus! Long live!"
"I don't know what the name means, but hey, if the captain says so, what can we do?"
Shakky, however, looked disappointed. She had wanted to name it Golden Rose, but the crew had outright rejected it. She was still a bit salty about it.
---
Preparations for the New World
During the banquet, Brook gave orders to Civil Minister Gan Fallmo and Military Minister Wyper to protect Golden City. He also instructed Moore Thomas not to bring new employees directly to Sky Island.
Every recruit had to go through strict screening, and they would have to wait for the Hell Pirates to return. Only after Redfield personally vetted them would they be allowed to officially join the World Economic News Agency of Sky Kingdom. Otherwise, they would have to remain at the branch on Jaya Island.
Brook also spent some time with Morgans, who was now about one or two years old. The little one seemed to adore him, and Brook enjoyed playing with him—until Morgans suddenly tried to feed him a Devil Fruit!
It was no wonder that in the future, Morgans would prefer his beast form so much—he was already starting to develop some animalistic traits from his Albatross Zoan Fruit. The kid hadn't even learned how to fly yet!
Brook also made a quick visit to Visalia to "acquire" a weather ship and left it in Moore Thomas's care, instructing him to use it for resupplying Sky Island from Jaya Island.
Since most of the Sky Shells had been taken by Brook's crew, production would be a challenge for the next year. However, Sky Island still had an abundance of gold, so they could simply buy the resources they needed from Jaya Island.
Time passed quickly, and the Hell Pirates were finally ready to venture into the New World, where they would meet the powerful pirates of the future.
With Moore Thomas running the World Economic News Agency, they had access to top-tier intelligence. Every up-and-coming pirate worth mentioning was now under their watch.
Brook personally planned to recruit some of these rising stars—especially the monster rookies, like Kaido.
"I'm so damn excited! The golden spaceship is the pirate ship of my dreams!" Shakky cheered, standing at the helm. She shoved aside Tom, eager to be the first one to pilot the Erebus.
"Hell Pirates, set sail!!"
Shakky shouted as Fishman Tom sighed, shaking his head helplessly before pressing the launch switch. Redfield, standing nearby, sent a powerful lightning bolt into the storage unit, recharging the ship.
The countless wind shells on both sides of the ship activated, pushing Erebus skyward. The massive propeller wings spun furiously, propelling the ship forward.
With Visalia's weather equipment on board, Shakky could now monitor the Grand Line's severe weather conditions in real time.
"Captain Brook, are we heading to the Sabaody Archipelago to reach Fishman Island? I thought we'd be heading straight for the Red Line!"
Shakky grinned. She had spent over a decade in Sabaody, and the thought of returning to her hometown—this time aboard a golden spaceship—filled her with pride.
"It feels good to return home in style," she muttered.
"Captain, aren't you worried that other pirates might try to steal the golden spaceship?" Antonio, their intelligence officer, asked anxiously.
Brook smirked. "Anyone dumb enough to mess with the Hell Pirates will be reduced to ashes!"
Electricity crackled around Redfield's fingertips as he smirked. The flashing sparks and sizzling arcs were enough to put Antonio's worries to rest.
With Brook's strength, Redfield's abilities, and Hirubas's sniping skills, Erebus was in good hands.
Antonio clenched his fists with determination. The future was wide open, and he would make sure his Den Den Mushi brothers gathered every last piece of intelligence about the islands ahead!
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