Asuka Island

The port of Gunslinger Island.

Early in the morning, thin mist curled over the sea as the rising sun broke the horizon. A slightly briny sea breeze swept in, invigorating the senses. Seagulls began to call out enthusiastically; a new day had arrived.

Brook rose early for once, cooking a pot of meat porridge for himself instead of gnawing on dry bread with his crew.

"Roger, get up! Brook and his lot have already set sail!"

Rayleigh's voice roared. As Roger watched the Yomi sail away through sleepy eyes, a flicker of affirmation flashed in his gaze.

"First, is it? I wonder what kind of 'first' that is. Haha~"

Roger rubbed his eyes, suddenly murmuring with a laugh. He was indeed deeply drawn to the voices emitted by those Poneglyphs. Would these things lead him to be the first?

"Captain Brook, are we in such a rush? Why so fast? Don't you know girls need their beauty sleep?"

Shakky puffed out her cheeks, looking at Brook—who stood at the bow—with a disgruntled expression, clearly quite angry.

"Time is short. The future holds too many variables; we cannot afford to waste any more."

Brook had to enter the New World within a year, because Charlotte Linlin gave birth to her first child one month after her eighteenth birthday. This meant she was pregnant with Perospero before she had even turned eighteen.

If there was a chance to recruit such a monster with the potential of a Yonko as a crewmate, it would be for the best. Now that he possessed a Mobile Den Den Mushi, it was the perfect time to hoodwink the naive Charlotte Linlin.

He also wondered which corner of the Vodka Kingdom the seven or eight-year-old Kaido was in, and whether he had joined the army yet. One had to remember that Kaido was the strongest soldier in the army by age 10, was sold to the Marines by the King of Vodka at 13, and subsequently escaped repeatedly, racking up a bounty of 70 million Beli. By 15, he was drifting toward Hachinosu of the Rocks Pirates, where Rocks would send Whitebeard to recruit him.

If possible, intercepting Rocks seemed like a decent choice as well, regarding this powerful survivor of the Oni Race.

Seeing the expression on Brook's face, Shakky also turned serious. She decided to change the plan again, prioritizing finding what the captain needed before canceling other landing plans to head straight for the legendary Asuka Island.

With the addition of the sniper Silvers, there was one more person to help handle the sails, meaning Brook didn't have to do everything himself.

After more than a week of continuous sailing, the Hell Pirates finally arrived at Asuka Island, a small island with quite prosperous commerce. There was even a Marine branch stationed here, which suggested the island held significant value.

This led Brook and his crew to avoid docking at the official port, opting instead to land in a remote area of the island.

On the beautiful Asuka Island, such a legend was passed down.

Thousands of years ago, the island's inhabitants were terrified of the appearance of a red full moon. To dispel the panic, the gods bestowed upon the island's king a shield and the Seven-Star Sword. However, when the Seven-Star Sword and the red full moon appeared simultaneously, darkness would once again dominate the entire land.

This information and the legend were prepared for Brook and his crew by Moore Thomas of the News Coo, along with a crude map of the island, which saved Brook and his group quite a bit of time.

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

Shakky wrote and drew on the map with a pen, quickly confirming the general terrain and direction. She was truly worthy of her background in intelligence.

"Let's get our hands on the Seven-Star Sword before we alert the Marines!"

The Seven-Star Sword should currently be sealed within the altar of the primitive tribe, protected by the contemporary shrine maiden and the villagers.

As Shakky navigated the forest paths with the map, they finally spotted a primitive village. The villagers' clothing was very ancient and well-preserved, untouched by the influence of the prosperous town on Asuka Island.

Seeing strangers approach, several strong, dark-skinned men at the village entrance raised their spears and walked over.

"Who are you people, and what are you doing here!"

Seeing these village guards who were only slightly stronger than ordinary marines, Silvers didn't even have the thought of drawing his gun, ignoring the villagers entirely.

"We've come to pay our respects at the altar. Would that be convenient?"

Shakky, smooth and tactful, immediately found a reason. If someone led the way, it would save quite a bit of time.

"Another bunch of unsavory characters coveting the Demon Sword! Leave at once, or our people will notify the Marines soon!"

The guard captain warned immediately; anyone wanting to approach the evil sword was surely a person with ill intent.

"No choice then, Captain Brook. Let's make this quick!"

Shakky retreated readily. She wasn't a saint, nor did she have any intention of intervening; it was better to leave the troublesome matters to the captain.

"Underworld Ghost Qi: Frozen Path!"

Brook had already appeared behind the guards with the Memory Seahorse. The frost had already frozen the guards' feet, slowly spreading up to their knees and waists. Completely immobilized, they were frozen so thoroughly they couldn't even speak.

"Let's go~"

Shakky stuck her tongue out at the guards and trotted after Brook, with Silvers following closely behind.

As for Fish-Man Tom and Antonio, they chose to head to the bustling market of Asuka Island to see if there were any special buoyant materials or Den Den Mushi-related goods.

The bull-horned Fish-Man Tom was quite powerful; his strong body possessed immense strength, capable of lifting a ship with one hand. With his protection, Antonio should be quite safe.

The altar was on the highest mountain peak in the village, visible from the village below; there was no need for anyone to lead the way.

Along the way, many villagers spotted the trio. They were confused as to why strangers had appeared—what had happened to the guard squad?

"Where are you going? Leave here at once, or I will notify the person in charge of the island's Marine branch! Trespassing here will lead to being hunted by the Marines!!"

A young shrine maiden dressed in ornate ritual robes spread her arms to block Brook and his group, warning them loudly.

"What a pretty little shrine maiden. Captain Brook, it's your turn."

Shakky smiled, not taking the weak girl seriously, and instead pulled a lady's cigarette from her case and lit it.

"Keep moving!"

Brook ignored the young shrine maiden and walked straight past her. As he passed, the chilling ghost qi left the maiden frozen in place, terrified.

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

Seeing three strangers climbing the mountain, a middle-aged woman hurried over and, upon seeing the petrified little shrine maiden, quickly shook her awake.

"Go call the Marines, that man is a devil!!!"

The little shrine maiden Irensha screamed in terror, as if she had encountered something horrific, her eyes filled with dread.

Following her cries, the entire village fell into a panic; some ran to summon the Marines, while others grabbed hoes, pitchforks, and wood axes, rushing toward the mountain altar in a fury...

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