The next morning…
Sabaody Archipelago, World Economy News Agency Headquarters.
After finishing breakfast, the group gathered in Brook's room, where various Den Den Mushi were scattered across the floor. Antonio busily fed them leaves, carefully tending to the little snails and even chatting with them like old friends.
The receivers and keypads attached to Den Den Mushi were artificial modifications, so even if these parts were damaged, the snails wouldn't feel any pain.
With the right components, they could even send faxes. If connected to a loudspeaker, they could function as broadcast Den Den Mushi. Truly, the world was full of wonders.
"Antonio, try talking to the Den Den Mushi and see if they can acquire multiple functions at once—like combining the abilities of an image Den Den Mushi, a fax Den Den Mushi, and a projection Den Den Mushi."
As someone from the modern era, Brook suddenly found himself missing smartphones. He wondered if these biologically engineered creatures could be enhanced to support instant messaging or image sharing, beyond just voice communication.
"Captain, the little snails say they've only ever known the functions they currently have and will obey any modifications their owners make."
"Antonio, see if these young Den Den Mushi can learn and be modified to support multiple functions simultaneously."
"Captain, Den Den Mushi are quite lazy. They're only willing to learn one frequency at a time. Handling multiple functions would be exhausting for them. They already get so little energy from eating leaves, so they have to sleep often."
So that's how it is… These creatures spend most of their time either eating or sleeping, except for the brief moments they're used for communication. If they had to stay alert for instant messaging, they'd probably die from exhaustion.
Even the image Den Den Mushi used in Impel Down had to operate in shifts, rotating in eight-hour intervals to monitor prisoners. Any more workload, and they might just keel over from overwork.
"Tell these young Den Den Mushi that if they can learn additional functions—like imaging and faxing—they'll be free to eat whatever they want. Or maybe try using your Devil Fruit ability to help them evolve."
Brook knew this was a long shot, but he wanted to experiment. After all, their current diet of low-energy leaves couldn't possibly sustain them for extended operation. If they spent two hours eating just to stay active for five minutes, he'd have to find them a better energy source.
"I understand, Captain! I'll do my best to complete the task!"
Using his Den Den Mushi Devil Fruit ability, Antonio continued communicating with the young snails, treating them as genuine friends.
Meanwhile, Brook approached Shakky to ask if there had been any news on the black market about Adam Wood. If he could stockpile some, he could build a new ship. He also wanted to check if any underground scientists specialized in modifying Den Den Mushi.
Leaving Antonio at the news agency headquarters, Brook and Shakky ventured to the 1-29 numbered areas of Sabaody Archipelago, searching for what they needed. Many pirate crews preparing to enter the New World were also in the black market, trading for rare specialties from various islands.
"Exotic beasts from Rare Beast Island! Come and take a look~"
"Striped creatures from Long Chain Island! Don't miss out!"
"Rare medicinal extracts from Drum Kingdom! Only 500,000 Belly!"
"A mechanical dog from the Future Kingdom, Baldimore! Strong enough to defeat a pirate with a 5-million Belly bounty! Yours for only 10 million Belly!"
"Scrap pieces of Adam Wood from the once-mighty Rocks Pirates' ship! A true collector's item with historical significance!"
An old shipwright from the Sabaody shipyard called out loudly. These were all items he had swiped from his workplace to sell on the side.
Brook curiously stepped forward for a closer look. Treasure Tree Adam—the strongest wood in the world of pirates—was incredibly tough and the best material for shipbuilding. But what lay before him was just a pile of scrap: fragmented, uneven pieces, rough and dented. However, the thing they were resting on immediately caught his attention.
"You're actually trying to sell this junk? Whatever… It might work for some crafts, I suppose. How much?"
Brook pulled a face like he was being offered chicken bones—unappealing, yet not entirely worthless. Meanwhile, his eyes flickered toward the Adam tree leaves. Even after all this time, they remained a vibrant green. He wondered if Den Den Mushi would eat them. These leaves had to be valuable, packed with energy.
"You've got good taste, sir!" The old shipwright grinned, instantly shifting into salesman mode.
"Once crafted into ornaments, and with Captain Rocks' name attached, these will be a sensation! Just one million Belly, and you can take them home to process!"
Brook wasn't buying it.
"Like hell I will!" A voice cut in before he could respond.
Shakky, a well-known information broker in the Sabaody Archipelago, had already sized up the situation. She eyed the shipwright coldly.
"I know you. You're that old man from the Labrador Shipyard in Sabaody. You stole these, didn't you?"
"Tch! You little brat! If you're not buying, don't go throwing around baseless accusations. Get lost!" The shipwright's face twisted instantly, his friendly act dropping as he waved them off.
Brook, however, wasn't so easily dismissed. His ghostly blue eyes locked onto the man, and the air around them seemed to drop in temperature.
"One hundred thousand Belly. Take it or leave it."
A shiver ran down the old shipwright's spine.
"You… You're the last survivor of the Rumbar Pirates… 'Avenger' Brook? The man who wiped out the Toxic Smoke Pirates in a single strike? The one with an 80-million Belly bounty?"
The shipwright hurriedly pulled out the morning's newspaper, along with the latest bounty posters.
'Avenger' Brook—former acting captain of the Rumbar Pirates. He had taken down Poison Cannon Sharin, a pirate with a 56-million Belly bounty, in one move. Now, his bounty had risen to 80 million.
The shipwright's eyes lit up with an idea. "Brook-sama! These scraps aren't worth much, really! Take them—just sign my bounty poster, and we'll call it even!"
Brook took the wanted poster and scribbled his name on it before tossing the man the agreed-upon money anyway.
"I won't take advantage of you. Here, one hundred thousand Belly. Do you have any more Treasure Tree Adam? Or even its leaves?"
The old shipwright shook his head. "No more scraps left. And these leaves? They're rare—one of the few remaining from its branches. I already gathered everything I could."
Brook nodded. "Fine. Keep an eye out for any more Adam wood and leaves. Here's a Den Den Mushi number."
As they walked away, Shakky glanced at him, puzzled. "Brook, what do you need these for?"
Brook chuckled. "No idea. I just wanna see if Den Den Mushi eat them. Worth a shot, right?"
Still searching for a scientist who could modify Den Den Mushi, Brook and Shakky scoured the underground black market but came up empty-handed. Then Shakky suddenly smirked.
"Ever think of checking the news agency?"
Brook froze.
Of course. He smacked his forehead—how could he have overlooked that? The World Economy News Agency was filled with experts who installed buttons, receivers, amplifiers, external fax machines, and even printers onto Den Den Mushi. If anyone could do this, they could.
Without wasting another second, he turned and headed straight for Mortomas' headquarters…
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg