First Battle Victory, Snail-Snail Fruit?

"How could I possibly fall here!"

The red, glossy sheen faded from Disco's skin, a massive wound tore across his upper torso, and blood sprayed wildly as he slowly collapsed, his life force extinguished.

Moore Thomas's wife immediately covered Morgans' eyes, shielding him from the bloody scene.

The slave-catching crew of the Disco Pirates scrambled in a panic, fleeing back to their own pirate ship in a desperate attempt to sail away.

Moore Thomas would never let such an opportunity to beat a drowning dog slip by; he led his few remaining guards in a pursuit, venting the fury in his heart.

Brook was also overcoming his slight discomfort with killing. His eyes once again revealed a cold, ghostly blue light as he resolutely leaped onto the Disco Pirates' ship, forcing himself to kill and rapidly adapt to this pirate world.

Brook took down a lackey with every swing of his sword, slaughtering these slaver pirates. In his past life, he had edited videos of child trafficking, kidnapping, pyramid schemes, and human trafficking in northern Myanmar; he loathed these things more than anything, even more than he loathed murder and crime.

"Mr. Brook, thank you for saving our family. I don't know how to repay you!"

Having returned to his human form, Moore Thomas was dressed in an elite suit and appeared refined and courteous. His gratitude for being saved, combined with the fact that he was already a fan of Brook's music, made him quite emotional toward the musician.

"Could you please take me to a nearby island?"

Brook was currently alone and needed to recruit new crew members and build a new ship to continue his voyage. Changing professions was likely out of the question, especially since he still had a bounty of 33 million Berries hanging over his head.

"Mr. Brook, if I may be so bold as to ask, is the Rumbar Pirates really..."

"Yes, they have all sacrificed themselves."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Brook, I..."

"It's fine. I have moved on, and I will avenge them."

Looking at Brook's pale, cold face, Moore Thomas thought sadly that Mr. Brook had already become an avenger, and his musical dreams were likely destroyed.

"Mr. Brook, we are heading to the Sabaody Archipelago now. After this incident, I feel that the World Economic News Agency has become a thorn in the side of the World Government. I plan to go back and relocate the company. If you are willing, you are welcome to accompany us to the Sabaody Archipelago."

"That would be fine. Thank you for the trouble."

Brook felt it would be beneficial to befriend this great newsman.

"There is a group of slaves on Disco's slave ship. Would you like to take a look, Lord Brook? You might find a crew member who meets your requirements."

If Brook intended to seek revenge against the Poison Smoke Pirates, he would likely need to recruit a crew. Moore Thomas suggested this, hoping to help his benefactor.

"Very well."

Brook didn't hold out much hope. He only wanted to find potential crew members and follow an elite path, but he did not refuse Moore Thomas.

The two stepped into the cabin of the Disco slave ship. The air was foul and stagnant. Dozens of men, women, and children of various heights were huddled in cages, covered in whip marks and looking haggard, their eyes filled with terror.

"The pirates on this ship have been wiped out by Lord Brook! You are free! Is there anyone among you with special abilities? You could become a crew member for Lord Brook."

Upon hearing these words, the slaves suddenly radiated a spark of hope, and their eyes began to regain their luster.

"I... I am a monster. I can turn into a giant snail."

After a long moment, a thin, frail boy of seventeen or eighteen slowly raised his hand, cautiously observing Brook's cold expression.

"Turn into a snail? Is that a Zoan-type Snail-Snail Fruit ability?"

Brook whispered, walking over to cut the chains from his hands and feet to release him and see what was going on.

"Come, show me your transformed form."

Brook was curious, and he watched as the frail boy slowly transformed into a giant snail five feet tall.

"I only started turning into this a year ago. The people in my village thought I was a monster and drove me out. My mom and dad secretly gave me a small boat to help me escape to sea."

As the giant snail spoke, tears flowed from its long eyes.

"I can also talk to the small snails held by the pirate captain who captured me. Does that count as a special skill? Lord Brook, can you take me in? I have nowhere else to go."

Talking to small snails? Aren't those Den Den Mushi?

Brook thought in shock. Could it be that it's not the Snail-Snail Fruit, but a Den Den Mushi Devil Fruit? Wouldn't that be like finding a treasure! The more he looked at the giant snail before him, the more it resembled a Den Den Mushi, and Brook made his decision immediately.

"Very well, from now on you are my first crew member. What is your name?"

"Thank you, Lord Brook, thank you! My name is Antonio, and I can cook!"

The giant snail said happily. If this form had hands and feet, he would likely be dancing with joy right now.

"Change back to human form, Antonio. From now on, you will stay by my side!"

Brook had taken in his first crew member in the world of One Piece, feeling a small surge of excitement.

"Congratulations, Lord Brook, on gaining a good crew member and taking your first step forward."

Moore Thomas congratulated him from the side, feeling happy for Brook and hoping he could truly emerge from the shadow of his pirate crew's destruction and no longer wear that cold, pale expression.

The remaining slaves were all ordinary people, and Brook released them all, letting them help sail and clean the ship. Moore Thomas also took a dozen of them to help sail, as his guards had been mostly wiped out by the Disco Pirates.

Brook temporarily occupied this pirate ship, becoming its master. He claimed all of Disco's belongings as his own and found four or five Den Den Mushi, letting Antonio test their effects.

It actually worked! It was truly miraculous.

"Captain Brook, these little snails say they feel very familiar and comfortable with me, so they are all willing to communicate with me via radio waves. I don't know what radio waves are, but they say they all have serial numbers and names."

Antonio was inexperienced, a small-town rookie who had just emerged from a remote island, and there were many things he did not understand.

"This little snail is called a Den Den Mushi. From now on, you will need to chat with these creatures to gather information. For now, just eat; you've been starving for quite a while!"

"Thank you, Captain!"

Famished, Antonio wolfed down his food, and Hell Brook was no different, eating frantically. He had been hungry for quite some time and could finally feast to his heart's content.

After finishing their meal, Hell Brook boarded Moore Thomas's Seagull News Agency ship. The fire on the vessel had been extinguished, and it had undergone preliminary repairs, making it seaworthy once more.

"Mr. Brook, we can continue our journey and head toward the Sabaody Archipelago!"

With Hell Brook accompanying him, Moore Thomas suddenly felt a bit more secure. He still needed to hurry back to the base at Sabaody and find an opportunity to relocate; in the Sabaody Archipelago, the territory of the Celestial Dragons, danger was far too easy to encounter.