Asuka Island

Gunslinger Island's port.

At dawn, a thin mist drifted over the sea. The sun rose above the water, and the faintly fishy sea breeze woke everyone up. Seagulls began calling cheerfully as a new day arrived.

Brook had gotten up early for once and cooked a pot of meat porridge instead of chewing on dry bread with his crew.

"Roger, get up! Brook and the others have already set sail!"

Rayleigh's voice rang out in a roar. When Roger sleepily spotted the Yomi sailing away, a glimmer of certainty flashed in his eyes.

"First place? I wonder what kind of first place it'll be. Hahaha~"

Roger rubbed his eyes, then suddenly chuckled to himself. He really was fascinated by the voices coming from those Poneglyphs. Would they lead him to first place?

"Captain Brook, are we in such a hurry? Why are we going so fast? Don't you know a girl needs her beauty sleep?"

Shakky puffed out her cheeks and glared at Brook, who stood at the bow, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"We don't have much time. The future is full of variables, and we can't afford to waste any more."

Brook had to enter the New World within a year. Charlotte Linlin had given birth to her first child a month after her eighteenth birthday, which meant she had already conceived Perospero before turning eighteen.

A monster with the potential to become one of the Four Emperors—if he had the chance, it would be better to recruit her as one of his crew. Now that he had a Mobile Den Den Mushi, it was the perfect time to sweet-talk the naive Charlotte Linlin.

He had no idea which corner of the Vodka Kingdom Kaido, who was seven or eight years old this year, was hiding in, or whether he had joined the army yet. Kaido had been the strongest soldier in the army at ten, sold to the Marines by the king of Vodka at thirteen, and had kept escaping ever since, earning a bounty of seventy million Beli. At fifteen, he had made his way to Hachinosu, where Rocks sent Whitebeard to recruit him.

If he could, poaching him from Rocks would be a pretty good choice too—a powerful survivor of the Oni Race.

Seeing Brook's expression, Shakky grew serious as well. She decided to change their plans again: first, they would find what the captain needed, and cancel the rest of their planned stops. They would head straight for the legendary Asuka Island.

With the sniper Silvers aboard, they had another person to help raise and lower the sails, so Brook no longer had to handle everything himself.

After more than a week at sea, the Hell Pirates finally reached Asuka Island, a fairly prosperous commercial hub. There was even a Marine Branch stationed there, which showed just how valuable the island was.

So Brook and the others chose not to dock at the official port. Instead, they circled around to a remote part of the island and went ashore.

A legend had been passed down on the beautiful Asuka Island.

Thousands of years ago, the island's residents had been terrified of the appearance of the red full moon. To put an end to their fear, the gods bestowed a shield and a Seven-Star Sword upon the island's king. But whenever the Seven-Star Sword and the red full moon appeared together, darkness would once again rule the land.

Moore Thomas from the news agency had prepared all this information and these legends for Brook and the others, along with a crude map of the island. It saved them a lot of time.

"Captain Brook, the ruins mentioned in the intelligence are in a primitive village among these remote islands. With this rough map, we should be able to find them!"

Shakky scribbled on the map with a pen, quickly working out the general terrain and direction. She certainly knew her way around intelligence work.

"Let's get the Seven-Star Sword before we attract the Marines' attention!"

The Seven-Star Sword should be sealed in the primitive village's altar by now, protected by the current priestess and the villagers.

With Shakky holding the map, they wound their way along a narrow forest path until they finally spotted a primitive village. The villagers' clothes were remarkably old-fashioned and well-preserved, untouched by the prosperous towns of Asuka Island.

Seeing strangers approach, several burly, dark-skinned men at the village entrance came forward with spears in hand.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Silvers had no intention of drawing his gun against these village guards, who were only a little stronger than ordinary Marines. He simply ignored them.

"We'd like to pay our respects at the altar. Would that be all right?"

Shakky was quick-witted and immediately came up with an excuse. If someone showed them the way, it would save them quite a bit of time.

"More scoundrels coveting the Demon Sword! Leave at once. Our people will notify the Marines soon!"

The captain of the guards immediately warned them. Anyone who wanted to approach the evil sword was surely up to no good.

"Can't be helped, Captain Brook. Let's make this quick!"

Shakky cheerfully stepped back. She wasn't about to play the saint, nor did she intend to get involved. She could leave the troublesome business to the captain.

"Underworld Ghost Qi: Frozen Path!"

Brook had already appeared behind the guards with the Memory Seahorse. Frost had sealed their feet and was slowly creeping up toward their knees and waists. They were trapped completely, their bodies so frozen they couldn't speak.

"Off we go~"

Shakky stuck her tongue out at the guards and hurried after Brook. Silvers followed right behind her.

As for Fish-Man Tom and Antonio, they had chosen to check out Asuka Island's bustling market to see whether they could find any unusual buoyant materials, Den Den Mushi, or other goods.

The horned Fish-Man Tom was incredibly strong, with a powerful body and immense strength. He could lift a ship with one hand. With him protecting Antonio, the latter should be perfectly safe.

The altar stood at the top of the tallest mountain in the village, visible from below, so they didn't need anyone to show them the way.

Along the way, many villagers spotted Brook and the others. They wondered why strangers had appeared—and where the guards were.

"Where are you going? Leave at once, or I'll notify the head of the Marine Branch on the island! If you trespass here, the Marines will hunt you down!"

A young priestess in ornate ceremonial robes spread her arms to block Brook and the others, shouting a warning.

"What a pretty young priestess. Captain Brook, she's all yours."

Shakky laughed. She didn't take the weak girl seriously and instead pulled out a cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

"Keep moving!"

Brook ignored the young priestess and walked straight past her. As he went by, the cold ghostly aura made her freeze in fright.

"Irensha, what's wrong? Wake up!"

When she saw the three strangers reach the mountain, a middle-aged woman hurried over. She found the young priestess standing there in a daze and quickly shook her awake.

"Quick, call the Marines! That man's a demon!!!"

The young priestess Irensha cried out in terror, as if she had seen something horrifying. Her eyes were full of fear.

At her shout, the whole village fell into chaos. Some ran to call the Marines; others grabbed hoes, pitchforks, and hatchets... They stormed furiously up the mountain toward the altar...