In the secret reception room of a human auction house on Tree Island No. 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago, two elderly Celestial Dragons sat trembling in fear. They hadn't expected Brook himself to appear in person. Their arrogance vanished instantly, replaced by sheer terror.
Both were afraid that Brook might kill them on a whim and take the Devil Fruits by force.
But they weren't entirely foolish. The fruits were stored inside seastone-locked boxes rigged with self-destruct mechanisms—if anyone tried to steal them, the fruits would be destroyed instantly by the explosives inside.
After a brief moment of panic, the cunning old nobles calmed themselves. They only had a few years left to live anyway. If Brook dared to kill them, the entire World Government would know.
However, their thoughts were completely exposed to Redfield, whose observation Haki read them with ease. He frowned slightly—those boxes truly contained self-destruct devices.
Still, the two old Celestial Dragons had kept their word. They really had brought top-tier natural-type Devil Fruits.
Redfield leaned close and whispered a few words into Brook's ear, quietly relaying everything he sensed.
Brook's grin widened in satisfaction.
"Gentlemen, relax," he said warmly. "Right now, we're simply doing business. No politics, no identities, no grudges. There's nothing to fear. I'm an honest and trustworthy businessman, and I hope this will be the start of a long partnership."
Brook smiled pleasantly as he spoke. The pure gold rings he offered contained only two or three grams of pure gold each—enough to freeze a person's age but not enough to waste resources. For a deal of this scale, his offer was more than fair.
He even offered an after-sales service: those who possessed Devil Fruits could undergo a rejuvenation process—turning back time by twelve years—for the cost of one Devil Fruit. A fair deal, by his own standards.
It was, of course, a second transaction that would only occur after the main deal was completed.
Brook's professional demeanor and calm tone made even the Celestial Dragons relax slightly.
"Brook, let's be clear," one of them said nervously. "We want to test the authenticity of the pure gold rings first."
"Yohoho! Of course," Brook chuckled.
He brought out two gleaming rings. For an instant, golden light shimmered from them before he clenched his fists, hiding the glow.
"Pure gold's light is too bright," Brook warned. "If exposed, it'll draw attention—and that would put your secret in danger."
He handed the rings to the two nobles, then crossed his legs and waited patiently.
The Celestial Dragons quickly slipped the rings onto their fingers. A strange energy coursed through their bodies—then faded. Nothing happened. They didn't regain their youth, nor did they feel any different.
"What's going on?" one of them demanded, panic in his voice.
"My dear guests," Brook said calmly, "you may have misunderstood. The power of pure gold freezes time. If you wear it while young, you'll remain unchanged for centuries. But if you put it on when you're already old… well, it only freezes your current state."
"What?!"
The two Celestial Dragons went pale. This wasn't the immortality they had imagined.
"Don't be impatient," Brook said smoothly. "Let's finish the trade first. Then I can provide you with a rejuvenation service—restore some of your youth."
His tone was kind, but his eyes were cold. With the Return-Return Fruit in his possession, Brook planned to trap these Celestial Dragons in a web of greed, binding them into long-term cooperation.
"Really?" one of them asked, eyes flickering with hope.
"I, Brook, always keep my word," he replied with an elegant bow. "My reputation for honesty is known across the seas."
At his signal, a tiny human girl appeared on his shoulder. User of Return-Return Fruit.
Arrietty, the user of the Return-Return Fruit, wore a red dress and had long brown hair pinned with a small clip. Barely twenty centimeters tall, she looked like a doll come to life—innocent and curious.
She tilted her head as she looked at the two nobles, curious to see the world's so-called gods up close. Deep down, she wondered if one of them belonged to the Donquixote family—the sworn enemies of her race.
"This little one," Brook said with a smile, "is the user of the Return-Return Fruit. She can reverse your age—twelve years per Devil Fruit. Each session costs one fruit.
"Of course, you're free to leave after completing the main transaction. No one here forces anything. Our business follows the principle of mutual consent."
Brook stroked Arrietty's hair gently as she sat in his hand like a pet hamster.
Redfield, meanwhile, motioned to the Celestial Dragons' attendants to produce the Devil Fruits.
The two old nobles exchanged looks. They were at a disadvantage, but there was no turning back.
If Brook decided to kill them, they would activate the platinum Den Den Mushi to alert the Holy Knights and Marine Headquarters—but whether the Marines could catch Brook afterward was another story entirely.
As the seastone locks clicked open, Brook finally saw the two natural-type fruits within. They weren't exactly what he had predicted, but they were still excellent.
"Top-level natural-type Devil Fruits—the Flash Fruit and the Earth Fruit," one of the Celestial Dragons announced proudly. "Are you satisfied, Brook?"
"Yohoho! Very satisfied!" Brook said, his voice filled with delight. "If you happen to find the Magma Fruit or the Ice Fruit next time, I hope we can do business again.
"And," he added slyly, "if you recommend my services to your fellow nobles, I might even gift you another pure gold ring free of charge."
Brook smiled sincerely, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. The trade had gone perfectly.
"Excellent, excellent! Let's begin the rejuvenation service right away!" one of the old men said eagerly.
Ordinary Devil Fruits were nothing to their families. To regain youth and extend life, they were willing to pay any price.
And so, driven by greed and fear of death, the Celestial Dragons' private transaction with the Hell Pirates continued deep into the night.
··----------------
Brook wasn't worried that the two old Celestial Dragons would refuse to pay, so he ordered Arrietty to activate the Return-Return Fruit and restore their youth.
"You're satisfied with turning back twelve years at a time? Would you like to do it again? It only costs two Devil Fruits per round. Surely you can afford that, right?"
Brook, the cunning businessman, couldn't resist showing off. The Return-Return Fruit had been one of the treasures he seized during the Battle of God Valley. Back then, a batch of Devil Fruits hadn't yet been transported back to the Holy Land of Marijoa—they'd been stored temporarily in the Valley of the Gods. The Celestial Dragons, in their arrogance, hadn't even realized their value and had treated the fruits like trinkets. Truly, a group of fools.
As their bodies began to grow younger, the two old Celestial Dragons were ecstatic. They immediately wanted to undergo the process again. After all, what was a few Devil Fruits to them?
But before they could get carried away, Brook threw a bucket of cold water on their enthusiasm.
"I wonder," he said slowly, "if your sudden rejuvenation might attract the attention of the other Celestial Dragons. I'd hate to lose such loyal customers over something so... avoidable."
He realized that if these two returned to Marijoa looking decades younger, his secret trading line could be exposed. Brook decided he would take it slow—draining the Celestial Dragons' stockpiles of Devil Fruits little by little.
"Hmph! We're not afraid!" one of the old nobles snapped. Though terrified of Brook, they were still arrogant toward their own kind. In fact, they probably couldn't wait to show off.
Brook sighed inwardly. Playboys in their youth, idiots in their old age. Some things never change.
"In that case," Brook said coolly, "when you return, I suggest dyeing your hair white again. Is that acceptable?"
His tone was polite, but there was no mistaking the authority behind it. He couldn't risk these two fools ruining his operation.
"…We understand," the two Celestial Dragons muttered resentfully. It was the first time they had ever been forced to obey anyone.
"Yohoho~! A pleasure doing business!" Brook's cheerful tone returned as he appeased his valuable clients. Pride was cheap; Devil Fruits were priceless.
In the end, each Celestial Dragon underwent three rounds of rejuvenation—turning back thirty-six years in total. From frail, white-haired men in their seventies and eighties, they became vigorous middle-aged nobles in their forties.
They could now enjoy life at their peak while still maintaining a dignified air befitting the leaders of their clans.
Once the transaction was complete and the two Celestial Dragons departed, Shakky and Tianmulan emerged from Uju's castle, their eyes gleaming at the six Devil Fruits left behind.
"Animal-type Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Komodo Dragon... Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dalmatian... Uma Uma no Mi, Model: Zebra... Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Cow... Paramecia-type Sabi Sabi no Mi... and Dai Sho no Mi, the Mini-Huge Fruit," Tianmulan read aloud, her voice echoing in the silent room.
The moment she mentioned the Big Small Fruit, Brook's eyes lit up. "Yohoho! So this is the superior version of the Mini Fruit and Huge Fruit? What a delightful surprise."
He couldn't believe those Celestial Dragons would part with such a treasure so casually. It was almost comical.
Using the Return-Return Fruit he'd taken from the Valley of the Gods, he had just earned six more Devil Fruits from a single transaction. Arrietty had worked hard, though—using her Devil Fruit power repeatedly took a toll.
"Arrietty, you earned six Devil Fruits this time," Brook said, laughing heartily. "From now on, the captain's counting on you for support!"
"Master Brook, you're teasing me," Arrietty said shyly, her tiny face reddening as she hopped back onto his shoulder.
"Brother Brook, let's get out of here already," Shiki complained, tearing off the uncomfortable CP0 uniform with visible relief. "These clothes are suffocating!"
"Alright, let's go," Brook said with a grin. "But before that, take a young Yarukiman Mangrove with you. I want to see if we can cultivate it on Doragenzo Island."
He had suddenly remembered his tree cultivation project. Brook wanted to bring back samples of other great trees—the Treasure Tree Adam, the Sun Tree Eve from Fishman Island, and even the War God Tree of Elbaf—to see if they could be successfully grown with the help of the dwarfs.
With the dwarves' expertise in cultivation and the Ripe Fruit's power, Brook was confident that nothing was impossible.
A massive vine was already thriving on Ballon Island, thanks to the dwarves' efforts.
If Sabaody weren't sitting right beneath the Holy Land of Marijoa and beside Marineford, Brook would have had Shiki move an entire tree island back with his powers.
He had no intention of lingering in the archipelago, nor of returning to Sky Island to plan his lunar expedition. He wouldn't even stop at Fishman Island this time.
Before dawn, the golden spaceship rose silently from Sabaody and returned to the New World.
Brook leaned against the window, deep in thought.
Every place tied to the ancient kingdom and its historical texts seemed to share one thing in common—gigantic structures. The towering vines of Shandora on Sky Island, Elbaf's War God Tree, the Treasure Tree Adam, the Sun Tree Eve, the enormous Sea Kings, the living island of Zou atop a giant elephant, and the colossal skull and sword of Onigashima in Wano—all connected by one thread: the technology of gigantification.
Gigantification had to be one of the core technologies of the Great Kingdom—perhaps as vital as Devil Fruit engineering itself.
The World Government's obsession with gigantification wasn't new. Even Kaido's massive artificial soldiers in later generations came from Punk Hazard—giants over sixty meters tall.
Most of the Government's so-called innovations were merely imitations of ancient Giant Kingdom research: gigantification, artificial Devil Fruits, cyborg Seraphs, Pacifista weapons... all derived from lost technology.
··
Brook didn't care what chaos awaited the two rejuvenated Celestial Dragons when they returned to Marijoa. For now, his golden ship was filled with excitement.
After the Zou Island incident, Kozuki Oden had consumed the Mythical Zoan Yamata no Orochi Fruit given by Brook and had spent nearly half a year mastering it.
His eldest disciple's progress had made the second disciple, Borsalino, restless. He'd been begging Brook to give him the Paramecia-type Speed Fruit, but Brook had always refused.
Today, however, Borsalino—after countless promises and guarantees—finally received the top-tier Logia Flash Fruit from Brook and became the new "Flashman," the fastest in the crew.
The moment he ate the fruit, he surpassed everyone in speed, his talent shining brighter than ever. He immediately set his sights on surpassing his teacher, Redfield, who wielded the Thunder Fruit.
He vowed to become the fastest man in the Hell Pirates—one of its unshakable pillars.
His promise to Brook was simple: he would train relentlessly and never fall behind Oden or Kaido.
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