The next morning.
The World Economic News Agency headquarters, Sabaody Archipelago.
After breakfast, the group gathered in Brook's room. Den Den Mushi of all shapes and sizes covered the floor. Antonio eagerly fed them leaves and vegetables, carefully looking after the cute little snails and chatting with them like a friend.
The mouthpieces and buttons on Den Den Mushi were added by people afterward, so even if those parts were damaged, the snails didn't feel any pain.
Add a special part and they could send faxes; connect a special speaker and they became broadcast Den Den Mushi... The world really was full of wonders.
"Antonio, talk to the Den Den Mushi and ask if they can have several functions at once. For example, could one have the functions of an Image Den Den Mushi, a fax Den Den Mushi, and a projector Den Den Mushi all at the same time?"
As a modern man, Brook suddenly found himself missing smartphones. He wondered whether these high-tech creatures could do more than just calls—could they send texts and pictures instantly, too?
"Captain, the little snails say they've only known the functions they can use now since they were little. They just follow their owners' modifications."
"Antonio, see if these young Den Den Mushi can learn and be modified to have several functions at once."
"Captain, Den Den Mushi are all very lazy. They only want to learn one kind of radio frequency. Another function would tire them out. They don't get enough energy from eating leaves as it is, so they need to sleep and rest often."
So that was how it was. Apart from the brief moments they spent making calls, Den Den Mushi usually ate or slept. If they had to stay awake all the time for instant messaging, they'd probably drop dead from exhaustion.
The Image Den Den Mushi at Impel Down already needed to work in eight-hour shifts to keep watch over the prisoners. They couldn't be made to work any harder, or they'd just die on the spot.
"Tell these young Den Den Mushi to learn the basic communication function, as well as imaging and faxing. Let them eat whatever they want, too. Or see if your Devil Fruit ability can help them."
The ideal was still a long way off, but Brook wanted to give it a try. Still, leaves were low-energy food, so they couldn't keep the Den Den Mushi running for long. If they ate leaves for two hours just to talk for five minutes, he'd have to find them something more energy-rich.
"I understand. I'll do my best to carry out your orders, Captain."
With the advantage of his Den Den Mushi Devil Fruit, Antonio kept up friendly conversations with the young snails, truly treating them like friends.
Brook asked Shakky if she'd heard any recent news from the black market about Treasure Tree Adam. He wanted to see if he could stock up on some for shipbuilding, and also check the underground black market for anyone skilled in modifying Den Den Mushi.
Leaving Antonio at the news agency headquarters, Brook took Shakky to Tree Island 1-29 in the Sabaody Archipelago to look for what he needed. Many pirate crews preparing to enter the New World were also trading the specialties of various unusual islands at the black market.
"Rare animals unique to Rare Beast Island! Come take a look!"
"Long-shaped animals from Long Ring Long Land! Don't miss out as you pass by..."
"Precious medicines from Drum Kingdom, the winter island! Only five hundred thousand Beli..."
"Mechanical dogs from the Future Kingdom of Baldimore! They can beat pirates with a five-million-Beli bounty! Take one home for just ten million Beli!"
"Offcuts of Treasure Tree Adam, left behind by Rocks's pirate ship, the New World's newly risen overlord! A meaningful keepsake, well worth collecting..."
An old shipwright from a Sabaody shipyard was loudly hawking the goods. He was a crafty old fox who'd stolen all of them from his company to sell.
Curious, Brook stepped closer to look. Treasure Tree Adam, the strongest tree in the world of One Piece, was incredibly tough and the best wood for shipbuilding. But these really were just offcuts: small, irregular pieces full of holes. Then he noticed what they were resting on, and his eyes lit up.
"Who would bother selling scraps like these? Never mind. They might make decent crafts. How much?"
Brook put on a look of disdain, as if the goods were as appetizing as chicken ribs, while secretly eyeing the Adam leaves. Despite all the time that had passed, they were still lush and green. Would Den Den Mushi eat them? The leaves must be precious and packed with energy.
"Now there's a customer with a good eye! Turn them into crafts, add the fame of Captain Rocks, and they'll sell like hotcakes. Just one million Beli, and you can take them home and start working on them right away!"
The crafty old shipwright immediately started praising the customer's taste and the goods' value, then named a high price.
"Go to hell! I've seen you before, old man—you're from the Labrador Shipyard in Sabaody. You stole these, didn't you?"
Shakky, a well-known information broker in the Sabaody Archipelago, saw straight through the old shipwright's act.
"Why, you little—if you're not buying, fine! But don't insult me. Get lost, both of you!"
The old shipwright's expression changed at once, and he tried to chase off the two troublemakers.
"Hundred thousand Beli! Take it or leave it?"
Brook's icy blue eyes fixed on the old shipwright. The air seemed to drop several degrees, making the man shiver.
"You're the sole survivor of the Rumbar Pirates, Brook the Avenger? The famous pirate who wiped out the Poison Smoke Pirates in one fell swoop and now has an 80-million-Beli bounty?"
The old shipwright pulled out the newspaper he'd just sold that morning, along with the latest wanted poster.
Brook the Avenger, former acting captain of the Rumbar Pirates, formerly known as Humming Brook, had taken out Poison Cannon Sarin, whose bounty was 56 million Beli, in a single move. His own bounty had now risen to 80 million Beli.
"Mr. Brook, these offcuts aren't worth anything. You can have them. Just sign this wanted poster for me!"
The old shipwright's eyes lit up. Brook was a star among pirates, and countless pirates were his fans. Now that his bounty had jumped so much, a signed wanted poster would surely fetch a decent price.
"I won't take advantage of you. Here's a hundred thousand Beli. Do you have any Treasure Wood Adam at your shipyard, or more offcuts? Even leaves?"
After Brook signed the old shipwright's poster, he still tossed him the money and packed up all the Treasure Wood Adam offcuts and leaves.
"I'm out of offcuts. These leaves came from one of the few branches left on the Treasure Wood Adam. I gathered them all up."
After hearing that, Brook simply asked the old shipwright to keep an eye out for news about Treasure Wood Adam. He took the leaves, too, and left him a Den Den Mushi number.
"Captain Brook, what do you need all this stuff for?" Shakky asked curiously.
"I don't know if Den Den Mushi will eat these leaves. I bought them to try."
Brook continued searching the underground black market with Shakky for a scientist who could modify Den Den Mushi, but they found no one. In the end, Shakky reminded him that the news agency might have someone like that on staff.
Brook realized he'd made a blunder. Wasn't this like carrying a baby around while looking for one?
Brook hurried back to the World Economic News Agency to borrow someone from Moore Thomas. It really did have specialists who could fit Den Den Mushi with buttons, mouthpieces, megaphones, external fax machines, external printers, and all sorts of other gadgets...
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