Seeking the Pluton Blueprint

Because they needed to rebuild Jerry Shipyard, Brook and his crew had to stay here for a few days, waiting for the immensely strong fish-man Tom to finish constructing the shipyard.

Brook had been observing Old Jerry the entire time, trying to see where the blueprints for Pluton were hidden, but the old man never showed a single flaw.

Antonio had obtained a few more Den Den Mushi from the ship of the Smokescreen Pirates and Yimi, adding them to his army of Den Den Mushi friends, while Shakky often slipped out to wander around Water 7 to gather intelligence.

After several days of hard work by the entire staff of Jerry Shipyard and the crew of the Hell Pirates, the framework of the shipyard was finally erected; the efficiency of professional shipwrights was truly fast.

That night, the exhausted shipwrights finally returned to their rooms to rest. The shipyard would be able to reopen tomorrow, and Tom the fish-man would also be setting sail for a while.

Old Jerry was just drifting off to sleep in his bedroom when a blurry, indistinct ghost appeared on his bed, looming over him.

"Jerry, I've taken the Pluton blueprints. Don't you worry~"

This eerie, ethereal voice startled Old Jerry into a state of shock. When he opened his eyes wide, he was terrified to see the ghost pressed right in front of his face, the scent of death washing over him.

He slammed his eyes shut and lashed out wildly until he hit the bed frame. The sharp pain caused him to open his eyes and cautiously scan his surroundings.

"A ghost? A Devil Fruit ability? Oh no! The Pluton blueprints!"

Old Jerry truly believed the blueprints had been stolen by a ghost. He hurriedly put on his clothes and, ignoring the late hour, ran straight to a place in the shipyard where waste materials were stored.

Looking left and right to ensure no one was watching, he flipped a switch, entered a hidden secret room, opened a safe, and took out a stack of yellowed blueprints. On them were written the letters for Pluton; they were indeed the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon, Pluton.

"Thank goodness, they're still here!" Old Jerry stroked the blueprints, but his face instantly turned pale. He had been tricked!

Before he could even turn around, a sharp pain struck his neck, and he lost consciousness as Brook's figure emerged.

"I never expected you to hide them here. My ghost searched your entire room and couldn't find them. You certainly made me look hard!"

Brook took the Pluton blueprints. Now, he just needed to deflect suspicion from himself, so he left a note behind.

'Walking in the darkness of justice --- CP5'

"Memory Seahorse, devour a bit of his memory from tonight. Be careful!"

The pink Memory Seahorse pitifully sucked away a tiny portion of Old Jerry's memory, and Brook placed the old man back in his bedroom to sleep soundly.

They were leaving tomorrow anyway; who knew when Old Jerry would think to check the secret room again.

The next day.

Old Jerry woke up feeling sore all over. Why did he feel more tired the more he slept? He even had bruised marks on his arms, and he didn't remember bumping into anything yesterday. His neck hurt, too—could he have slept in an awkward position?

After breakfast, all the shipwrights began to see Tom the fish-man off, and Brook decided it was time to hoist the Jolly Roger and rename their new ship.

"Today, in Water 7, the Hell Pirates are established. The new ship shall be called the Yomi!" Brook announced to his crew.

With the help of the shipwrights, they skillfully painted the new pirate flag—a simple skull with two crossbones and the characters for "Hell"—and painted the name "Yomi" onto the new ship.

"Tom, you must remember to come back!!" Old Jerry shouted, terrified that his brilliant disciple was being snatched away by Brook.

"Master Jerry, I will definitely find a way to save Water 7 and return!"

Tom was now effectively employed by the Hell Pirates, hired at a high price using the Smokescreen Pirates and 300 million berries—money that had fortunately been looted from the Smokescreen Pirates.

Old Jerry, that old fox, had even taken all the Smokescreen Pirates crew members Brook left behind and turned in anyone with a bounty for the reward, not even sparing the pirates worth a few million.

This caused the defensive strength of Jerry Shipyard to drop again, but in his words, the worst that could happen was losing a few orders or hiring powerful foremen at a high price later.

The Hell Pirates: Captain Brook, Navigator Shakky, Intelligence Officer Antonio, Shipwright Tom, and pet Memory Seahorse, setting sail...

"Captain Brook, where are we heading next?"

Navigator Shakky asked. It had taken them long enough to officially establish the pirate crew; while other pirate crews were heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago, their crew was actually sailing back along the route to recruit members.

"Let's go to Asuka Island first. We have a permanent Log Pose for that place!"

Brook had always felt his cane sword wasn't quite right for him, and he wanted to get his hands on that legendary cursed sword. The grade of that blade shouldn't be low!

"Understood," Shakky replied, immediately consulting with Tom the fish-man, who was now at the helm due to his wealth of experience.

"Captain Brook, how can we solve the internal strife in Water 7?"

Tom the fish-man looked at Brook, who was older than himself, and asked earnestly.

"If the roads are open, the wealth will flow. That is to say, if you connect Water 7 to other prosperous islands, it will boost the shipbuilding industry of Water 7. This way, Water 7 won't have to fight to the death over orders. Furthermore, you can strengthen yourself by consolidating the seven large shipyards into one major company, arranging work uniformly for mutual profit."

"I understand the logic, but opening dedicated shipping lanes between Water 7 and other islands is too difficult, and the chances of unifying the seven large shipyards are slim."

"If you invent a track that floats on the sea and remains undamaged by the Aqua Laguna, and use a Sea Train to connect the surrounding islands, you can save Water 7. I believe you can do it; these eyes of mine have seen the future."

"At the same time, while you sail with us, you can search for those materials and strengthen your own power. Once you become a famous figure, you can return to Water 7 and implement your plan!"

"That sounds plausible, but does a material that can build floating tracks really exist?"

"I swear it on my name; it truly exists!"

"I understand, Captain Brook! I will find those materials! I will build a Sea Train to connect the islands and return Water 7 to its peak!"

Tom the fish-man was filled with fighting spirit, his eyes burning with a fierce fire; he clearly believed the grand vision Brook had painted for him.

And so, the Yomi sailed straight toward Asuka Island, following the permanent Log Pose in search of the legendary cursed sword.

Meanwhile, Moore Thomas of the World Economic News Agency finally pinpointed the locations of several pirates and sent out the mobile Den Den Mushi that Brook had left behind via Seagull News Birds, searching for their rightful owners.

He hoped these strangers would be able to understand the operating instructions and feeding requirements for the mobile Den Den Mushi, and not let them die, rendering all of Brook's efforts in vain.