[Number 36: Isn't that obvious? What else would we go to sea for? You need money to get subordinates!]
[Number 54: Haha, I don't like treasure either. I just like adventuring freely!]
[Number 43: I like sweets best, especially caramel cream puffs!]
[Number 18: Don't go around revealing your interests and hobbies. It's easy for people to guess your real identity, and Number One might disqualify you!]
[Number 50: I understand.]
Edward Newgate put down the Mobile Den Den Mushi, bored. It didn't seem very useful to him.
Suddenly, the screen switched to another private chat.
[Number 2: You're Newgate, right? Have you gotten the Tremor-Tremor Fruit yet?]
[Number 50: How do you know who I am?]
Newgate immediately tensed up. Weren't they forbidden from revealing their identities here? How did Number 2 know who he was? Could it be that he was the one who had sent him the Mobile Den Den Mushi through the News Coo? Was he related to the Sphinx?
[Number 2: I'm a fortune-teller. I can predict a few things, and I'm also one of the founders here. After you got the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, did your strength rise rapidly? Is your captain wary of your strength now?]
[Number 50: If you can predict that, why are you asking me?]
Seeing Newgate's message, Brook knew he'd admitted it.
[Number 2: You don't belong with this pirate crew. Do you really want to know where the companions who'll be like family to you in the future are?]
[Number 50: You mean I'll leave the Lion-Man Pirates? I don't think so. I've already talked to the captain.]
Ever since Edward Newgate had left the Sphinx and gone to sea, he'd been with this pirate crew long enough to grow attached to them, even if their personalities weren't quite to his taste.
[Number 2: Not every pirate captain can tolerate a subordinate being far stronger than them. Think it over. If you have any questions, you can come to me!]
Brook didn't want to say too much and risk putting Newgate off, so he'd let the idea sink in first.
Edward Newgate stared at the messages, conflicted. Would he really find companions who'd be like family to him someday?
He looked toward the battle room on the pirate ship's deck. Captain Ryan was inside. Would he really be wary of my strength?
Brook put down the Den Den Mushi. That hadn't been easy!
He took a deep breath, braced himself, and looked ahead to the future. The net had been cast; all that remained was to wait for the catch.
But strength was still the most important thing. Brook immediately began exploring his Underworld Ghost Qi and researching how to develop his Hell Underworld Qi.
If he used his Necro Qi to sense and detect the life force of nearby beings, that corresponded to Observation Haki. And if Underworld Ghost Qi was like Armament Haki, capable of wounding even souls, then Hell Underworld Qi was like Conqueror's Haki, an aura of death that could intimidate any living being.
It seemed that Necro Qi, Underworld Ghost Qi, and Hell Underworld Qi corresponded to Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's Haki—the Three Types of Haki. This dead body seemed incapable of producing Haki.
Still, it was enough if the effects were similar. As long as it made him stronger.
"Captain, given the currents and monsoon winds, it may take a while to reach Asuka Island. How about we stop at a few islands along the way to replenish our supplies?"
Shakky looked over the nautical chart provided by Moore Thomas, the head of the news agency. It seemed they could easily stop at several islands along their route.
"Do as you see fit."
Brook didn't know much about sailing. As long as they made it to Asuka Island, that was all that mattered. The Seven-Star Sword should still be sealed in the sacrificial temple there.
"Understood, Captain!"
Shakky immediately began planning which islands to visit and what supplies to get. Hopefully, they'd come across some unusual people and happenings to help Captain Brook recruit new crewmates.
Sailing was boring. For days on end, there was nothing but the boundless sea, which always made people feel lost. Fortunately, Brook now had his own crew.
"Antonio, get me a cup of lemon tea."
Antonio, who also worked as a cook, diligently learned these chores. He felt that since he wasn't a fighter, he should take care of things like this.
"I'll have a cup of milk tea!"
"Then I'll have a glass of rum."
Fish-Man Tom, the shipwright, had also become part of the little group. He loved listening to Brook's grand promises every day, and believed he could make them come true.
"Captain, the next stop is Gunslinger Island. I hear snipers and gunslingers from the Four Blues, the Grand Line, and even the New World come here to challenge one another and duel. They want to prove their gun skills are the best and claim the title of the World's Greatest Gunman."
Shakky spoke excitedly. Perhaps Captain Brook could recruit a sniper here. She'd carefully planned this route, after all.
"Then we'll have to see for ourselves just how skilled the snipers in this world are!"
Brook immediately took an interest. His crew did seem to need a sniper.
The island was incredibly prosperous. Both merchant ships and pirate ships filled the harbor, and they seemed to coexist in a delicate peace.
Merchant ships came here to recruit bodyguards, while pirates came to recruit crewmates. Of course, pirate crews also brought their sniper companions to challenge the island's experts and make a name for themselves.
In the world of pirates, every strong fighter chased after the title of the world's greatest: the world's greatest gunman, the World's Greatest Swordsman, the world's greatest chef...
As the Yomi entered the harbor on Gunslinger Island, a group of dockworkers sent by the repair yards immediately swarmed them, offering all kinds of services, from ship repairs to storage.
Gunslinger Island was now ruled by the Sniper Guild, led by a retired World's Greatest Gunman who'd been lucky enough to survive. Ordinary people didn't dare cause trouble here, especially since this was the Grand Line, where truly powerful pirates were rare.
Any super-strong fighter who surpassed this retired World's Greatest Gunman had long since entered the New World to carve out a domain of their own. Why would they stay in the Grand Line and get hunted down by the Marines?
After entrusting their ship to the official harbor's storage yard, the uneasy Fish-Man Tom chose to stay aboard and guard the Yomi.
Brook had no choice but to hang the Memory Seahorse over his shoulder and take Shakky and Antonio ashore to explore the world-famous Gunslinger Island and see what made it so special.
Pirates and bounty hunters bustled through the streets, flintlock pistols and revolvers hanging from their belts, long-barreled sniper rifles slung over their backs. Gun culture had flourished here like nowhere else.
"There's a duel between gunslingers up ahead! Hurry, let's go see!"
"I think it's Silvers Silvers, whom the Sniper Guild's president called a potential World's Greatest Gunman. He's a famous young sniper on Gunslinger Island!"
"His challenger is Petermoo, the sniper from the Roger Pirates—a Supernova! I hear he was part of a royal sniper squad in some kingdom."
Brook perked up at that. He thought he'd heard the name Roger Pirates. He immediately followed the crowd to catch up...
The Great God Great Karma Fire you requested.
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