Defeat the Pirates, Arrive at Water 7

The two pirate ships approached each other, closing the distance rapidly.

"Not running away? Could it be they want to join my crew? Smog-hahaha~"

Smog Emi said with self-conceit. Although their pirate crew was notorious, they were still a formidable force, and it wasn't impossible for like-minded pirates to seek refuge under his banner.

"You don't need to join the fight; stay on the ship!"

Seeing that the two ships were about to grapple, Brook gave instructions to Shakky and Antonio before leaping onto the Smog Pirates' vessel all by himself.

"He actually dares to come aboard! He truly doesn't know the meaning of death!"

Smog Emi and his underlings were eager to launch an offensive, but they hadn't expected this man to jump onto their ship. Looking at the way he drew his sword, it was clear he wasn't here to join them—this was an invasion.

"Captain Emi, that looks like the Avenger Brook! His bounty is supposedly 120 million now!"

A cadre on the ship who enjoyed keeping track of bounty posters recognized Brook immediately.

"So he's a pirate too. Brook, we have no quarrel; why did you approach us?"

Smog Emi looked at this peer-level pirate with a hint of wariness, though he was already releasing numbing gas with every breath.

"To practice, and to rob you!"

Brook had already drawn his sword. Cold air permeated the deck as he entered the Underworld Ghost Body state. Frost began to condense beneath his feet, and with every word he spoke, cold white mist billowed from his breath.

"Hmph, Brook, you're quite confident! I bet you're starting to feel drowsy already, aren't you? You were exposed to my smog the moment you stepped on board. Smog-hahaha~"

Smog Emi watched Brook triumphantly, waiting for him to collapse so he could do as he pleased.

Underworld Ghost Qi: Frozen Path

Brook thrust his sword into the deck, creating a massive sheet of ice. The Underworld Ghost Qi spread toward the crowd, freezing the heels of the underlings to the ground. Terrified, Emi retreated repeatedly until he jumped onto the railing.

Underworld Ghost Qi: Golden Capital Quick Blade Slash

Every underling looked at Brook as if they were staring at the Grim Reaper; their bodies stiffened involuntarily, and their defenses crumbled. Brook dashed forward in an instant, and the underlings collapsed onto the frozen deck, their wounds instantly sealed by ice, leaving them in a state of frozen suspended animation.

"Impossible! How are you this strong!"

Smog Emi was gripped by panic. His crew had been wiped out in an instant? Was this the power of a Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit user? And why wasn't he affected by the numbing gas?

"Captain Brook is amazing!!"

Shakky and Antonio cheered excitedly. It seemed this Supernova pirate crew was no match for their captain, while the Memory Seahorse had already begun to drool—so many delicious memories.

"Stop hiding and let's have a proper duel, Supernova!"

Underworld Ghost Qi: Blizzard Slash

Brook lunged toward the dodging Smog Emi, who evaded the strikes repeatedly. It seemed his only strengths were his Devil Fruit ability and his evasive footwork.

"Brook, I surrender! Please, spare me this once, I'll never provoke you again!"

Seeing that the deck was filled with his own smog yet it had absolutely no effect on Brook, Emi chose to surrender, fearing he would be cut down by Brook sooner or later.

"Piracy isn't a game, and besides, I don't like the look of you!"

Brook saw that Emi was the type of despicable pirate who slaughtered the innocent without a shred of morality; he had no intention of letting him go!

"Don't force my hand!"

Smog Emi bloated up, desperately blowing his smog toward Shakky's direction while nimbly leaping away, attempting to jump onto Brook's ship to take hostages.

Underworld Ghost Qi: Desolation Slash

Following Brook's soft whisper, Emi, mid-leap, sprayed a fountain of blood and fell back onto the deck. He looked at the cold-breathing Brook in terror before losing consciousness.

"Woo-hoo! Captain Brook is the best! We've got the 150 million bounty Smog Emi!"

Shakky immediately ran over to bind the unconscious Emi. Once the smog on the Smog Pirates' ship dissipated, they went up to loot it, finding no less than 500 million in treasure. They had struck it rich!

The Memory Seahorse had already jumped onto Smog Emi to feast on his brilliant, delicious memories!

As the Frozen Path dissipated and the ice thawed, Brook grabbed one of the pirate underlings and interrogated him about the Smog Pirates' heinous deeds.

"You actually robbed a shipyard? You have absolutely no code of honor. That was the very shipyard helping you build new ships! To be a pirate like this is truly unforgivable!"

Shakky also looked down on such pirates; they had no bottom line. In this world dominated by the sea, shipwrights were worthy of respect from every profession, even pirates.

The Memory Seahorse didn't spare the memories of these underlings either, devouring them all.

"Hey, Memory Seahorse, that's enough! We still need these pirates to sail the ship!"

Following Brook's warning, the Memory Seahorse reluctantly stopped, looking at the terrified pirates. It was unclear how many memories had been devoured, or if they even remembered how to sail anymore.

Under Brook's orders, these ignorant, blank-slate pirates began to follow instructions step by step, hoisting the sails and rowing the ship back toward Water 7!

"Memory Seahorse, hurry up and digest those memories; don't go spitting them back out later!"

Brook watched the Memory Seahorse, which was hiccuping constantly. It had eaten quite a lot; he just hoped it wouldn't regurgitate them and restore these pirates' memories.

Water 7.

The Jerry Shipyard was in shambles. All the shipwrights were dejected; their shipyard had been destroyed by that Supernova, and he had even used the pirate ship they had built to shell them. This made them hate the Smog Pirates even more.

"Master Jerry, please allow me to set sail and sink that bastard's pirate ship!"

Tom, the Fish-Man foreman of Jerry Shipyard, pleaded angrily with his master. As a cowfish Fish-Man, he was somewhat portly, yet possessed immense strength capable of lifting a ship with one hand; had he not been careless and fallen unconscious from Smog Emi's sleeping gas, he would have beaten that bastard to death himself.

"Tom, let the completed ship continue its voyage. It is the owner who is at fault, not the vessel! Besides, the shipyard cannot function without you right now; you cannot leave!"

Jerry, wrapped head to toe in bandages with blood still seeping from his wounds, stood firm. Currently, the major shipbuilding companies were engaged in constant skirmishes to vie for clients, leaving the island's residents trapped in the shadow of a slow death; the shipyard required Tom's formidable martial prowess to suppress the chaos.

As it turned out, the current shipbuilding island of Water 7 faced the great tsunami known as Aqua Laguna once every year. During this time, the islanders would flee to higher ground to escape the waves, yet every year after the tsunami passed, the water level rose significantly higher.

Due to the poor trade conditions on the Grand Line and limited contact between islands, the seven large shipyards of Water 7 were now at daggers drawn. They fought frequently to snatch up clients, to the point where they would accept shipbuilding orders from any kind of pirate.

"Master Jerry, I swear, sooner or later, I will definitely save Water 7 and unify all the shipyards!"

The thirty-something-year-old Fish-Man giant shed tears as he spoke.

.You are reading One Piece: Hell Brook by Great God Great Karma Fire