One Piece: Hell Pirates

The Memory Seahorse leaped toward the village with great effort, its tiny tail already a bit worn out from the journey.

"When my ability gets stronger, I'll just control someone to carry me every day. I don't wanna jump anymore..." The Memory Seahorse wanted to cry but had no tears. It was still too young, still devouring memories to grow, and couldn't yet control a human.

Finally reaching the village, most people were already asleep, making it easier to feast on their memories. The Memory Seahorse crept up to a house, silently absorbing the memories of the sleeping humans through the window. Glowing strands of memory floated into its mouth.

"Tastes pretty good... but these human memories are so dull. Still not as delicious as I imagined. Guess I’ll just eat my fill and grow slowly. No idea when I’ll finally devour enough memories to become a flying Thousand-Year Dragon."

Brook had already activated Life Detection, waiting for the monster to appear. After patrolling the village, he finally spotted a sneaky pink Memory Seahorse, smaller than he had expected.

"Tasty?" Brook asked softly, watching the tiny seahorse focused on eating.

The Memory Seahorse nodded seriously but immediately froze when it turned around and saw a towering human over two meters tall. The dark blue eyes, filled with an eerie chill, terrified the little creature. Panicked, it scrambled and rolled away toward its nest.

But its movement was too slow to escape. Brook casually walked over, scooped up the Memory Seahorse, and studied it with curiosity.

"Didn’t expect you to be this young. You haven’t even grown up yet, have you? You understand me, right? Stick with me from now on. I’ll take you to places where you can eat stronger, more flavorful memories."

Brook stared at the pink seahorse with its unique abilities, already thinking of how useful it could be in the future.

Feeling the eerie chill from Brook’s hand, the Memory Seahorse quickly nodded. If it didn’t agree, would this terrifying human just crush it on the spot? I’m just a baby! I’ve only swallowed memories for less than a month!

Brook, satisfied with its attitude, placed the Memory Seahorse on his shoulder. It instinctively coiled its tail around his clothes to secure itself, ensuring it wouldn’t fall.

"The memories of these villagers are too ordinary for you to grow strong. I’ll take you out to sea, where you can feast on pirate memories instead."

Hearing that, the Memory Seahorse nodded frantically. It felt like it had just struck gold!

When Shakky saw Captain Brook return with a pink seahorse, her curiosity was piqued.

"That’s the monster that eats memories?"

"It’s our new crewmate now." Brook introduced the seahorse, ensuring everyone understood its abilities. "Memory Seahorse, you must never attack your companions!"

"This is incredible. I never imagined such a creature existed," Antonio exclaimed in awe.

"You're one to talk," Shakky scoffed. "A Devil Fruit user who can communicate with Den Den Mushi? That’s just as strange."

"Shakky, what kind of Devil Fruit do you want in the future?" Brook asked, knowing that with his knowledge of the future, he could seize Devil Fruits before their destined users did. If he played his cards right, he’d soon hold real power.

"I want a fruit that lets me move fast, so I can protect myself!" Shakky didn’t even hesitate, answering in less than a second.

"Got it. If I ever find the Thunder Fruit, I’ll give it to you. It’s a top-tier Logia with insane speed and devastating power!"

Brook was already planning a trip to Skypiea, wondering if the Thunder Fruit had already respawned on Birka.

"Captain, you’re joking, right? That’s a Logia! Even if you were willing, there’s no way we’d find it! You’re just talking big."

Despite her doubts, Shakky was touched by Brook’s sentiment.

"Alright, let’s get some rest. We set sail at dawn!"

---

The next morning, after a good rest, Brook and his crew set off early. The pirate ship left the port, marking the Memory Seahorse’s first real adventure at sea.

"Shakky, Antonio, you both need to train your combat skills. You can’t be weak."

Shakky, already a skilled intelligence hunter, had a solid foundation and the potential to become strong. With her current abilities, she could handle a Marine Major with ease. Antonio, however, was a different story—he was weak. Why did the Den Den Mushi Fruit boost his communication skills instead of his physical abilities?

"I get it, Captain! I won’t drag you down!" Antonio declared. Almost being sold into slavery had shown him the harsh reality of this world—without strength, he was just prey.

"Captain, I’ve set our course for Water 7. Just follow the Log Pose straight ahead," Shakky confirmed confidently, glancing at the permanent compass on her wrist.

The weather was perfect—clear skies, fresh sea air. The ship sailed smoothly as Brook focused on further developing his Underworld Fruit abilities, while Shakky and Antonio trained their bodies.

The pink Memory Seahorse stared eagerly at the sea, hoping to spot pirates soon. After all, Captain Brook had promised that killing pirates would bring plenty of delicious memories!

---

"Hahaha! Captain, those old shipbuilders never expected us to return and rob them after setting sail with our new ship!"

A pirate officer laughed heartily, clearly pleased with their haul from raiding the shipyard that had built their vessel.

"The Navy calls us the worst pirates now."

Smoke Otomi, captain of the Smoke Pirates, was a Devil Fruit user who wielded the Smoke Fruit. He could generate thick clouds of smoke capable of rendering people unconscious, making him a despicable and deadly opponent. His bounty? 150 million berries. A true Supernova of this era.

"Those damn shipwrights... I paid them, and they still took my money. If I didn’t rob them, how could I call myself the most wicked pirate? Hahaha!"

"Captain! There's a ship up ahead! No pirate flag!" The lookout, peering through a spyglass, reported loudly.

"Some no-name pirate crew? They don’t seem to have many people. Maybe they’re just stragglers. Perfect. Let’s rob them!"

A pirate, no matter how small, was still prey. Smoke Otomi wasted no time in issuing his orders.

Meanwhile, Brook and his crew spotted the approaching vessel.

"Captain Brook, this is bad! That’s Smoke Otomi! He’s got a bounty of 150 million berries! Can we really take him? If not, we should escape!" Shakky warned, recognizing the infamous pirate.

She understood all too well how ruthless the Smoke Pirates were. Few ever survived an encounter with them. That Smoke Fruit ability was nasty.

Brook remained unfazed. "It’s fine. I’m not afraid of poison or smoke."

His resurrected body was immune to most toxins and airborne threats. The only things that could truly harm him were highly corrosive poisons.

With a confident smirk, he prepared for battle.

----

The two pirate ships sailed toward each other, quickly closing the distance.

“You’re not running away? Are you planning to join me instead? Hahaha~” Miyan Otomi laughed arrogantly. Though his crew had a notorious reputation, they were still a powerful pirate group, and it wasn’t impossible for like-minded pirates to seek an alliance.

“You two stay put! No need to jump in!” Brook ordered Shakky and Antonio as the two ships nearly connected. Without hesitation, he leaped onto the Smoke Pirates’ vessel alone.

“How dare you come aboard on your own? You really don’t know the difference between life and death!” Miyan Otomi’s crew was already preparing to attack, but they were caught off guard when Brook jumped straight onto their deck. Judging by his drawn sword, surrender was the last thing on his mind.

“Captain Otomi, that’s the Avenger Brook! His bounty’s up to 120 million berries now!” one of the crew members, who made a habit of keeping track of bounties, immediately recognized him.

“So, you’re a pirate too, Brook? We don’t interfere with each other, so why come after us?” Miyan Otomi asked cautiously. He was already exhaling a faint, almost invisible smoke, releasing his signature stun gas.

“For training and robbery!” Brook declared coldly, his sword already drawn. The temperature around him plummeted as his breath turned into a frosty white mist. White frost spread beneath his feet as he entered his Underworld Ghost state.

“Hmph, pretty damn confident, huh? You should be getting drowsy about now. The moment you stepped onto this ship, my smoke started working on you, hahaha~” Otomi sneered, confident that Brook would pass out any second now.

Underworld Ghost Energy: Frozen Road!

Brook stabbed his sword into the deck, spreading a thick layer of ice across it. The chilling ghost energy seeped into the ship, freezing the crew’s feet in place. Otomi’s eyes widened in fear as he leaped back onto the railing.

Underworld Ghost Energy: Golden City Quick Draw!

Brook moved like a reaper, a flash of steel slicing through the frozen pirates. Their bodies stiffened, and one by one, they collapsed onto the icy deck, their wounds freezing over as they slipped into suspended animation.

“Impossible… How the hell are you this strong?!” Otomi stammered in terror. His entire crew had been wiped out in seconds! Was Brook a Logia Ice Fruit user? And why wasn’t the gas working on him?!

“Captain Brook is awesome!!” Shakky and Antonio cheered from their ship. The so-called Supernova pirate crew didn’t stand a chance. Meanwhile, Memory Seahorse drooled over the feast of delicious memories laid before him.

“Quit running and fight, Mr. Supernova!”

Underworld Ghost Energy: Snow Blowing Slash!

Brook charged at Otomi, but the pirate dodged nimbly, slipping through his attacks over and over. It was clear—Otomi had no real combat ability beyond his Devil Fruit and evasive skills.

“Brook! I surrender! Let me go, and I swear I’ll never mess with you again!” Otomi pleaded, realizing that his stun gas had no effect. If this continued, Brook would eventually kill him.

“Piracy isn’t a damn game, and I don’t like you,” Brook said flatly. He had no intention of sparing a scumbag who slaughtered innocent people without hesitation.

“Don’t push me!!”

Desperate, Otomi gathered all his remaining strength and blew a dense cloud of smoke toward Shakky. At the same time, he leaped toward Brook’s ship, trying to take a hostage.

Underworld Ghost Energy: Desolate Slash!

A thin whisper of Brook’s voice carried through the air. A flash of steel, a splash of blood, and Otomi fell back onto the deck, clutching his wound in horror before passing out.

“Oh hell yeah! Captain Brook took down a 150-million berry pirate!” Shakky cheered, running over to tie up the unconscious Otomi. As the smoke on the ship cleared, she and Antonio raided their loot, finding no less than 500 million berries in treasure. Jackpot.

Meanwhile, Memory Seahorse hopped onto Otomi’s unconscious body, eagerly feasting on his memories.

As the icy road faded and the ice holding the frozen crew melted, Brook grabbed one of the remaining pirate grunts and forced him to spill everything.

“You actually robbed a shipyard? Do you guys have no morals whatsoever? That’s the place that builds your damn ships!”

Shakky frowned in disgust. Even among pirates, shipwrights were respected. In a world ruled by the sea, shipbuilders were invaluable, even to those who plundered and raided for a living.

Memory Seahorse didn’t stop there, devouring the memories of the remaining crew members as well.

“Hey, Memory Seahorse, that’s enough. We still need these idiots to steer the ship,” Brook warned. Reluctantly, the creature stopped feasting, leaving the pirates in a dazed, half-empty state, unsure how much of their past had been wiped away.

Under Brook’s command, the surviving pirates had no choice but to obey orders. Like rookies fresh out of training, they raised the sails, rowed, and set course for Water 7.

“Memory Seahorse, digest those memories fast. If you puke them back up, that’ll be a mess,” Brook muttered, watching the creature burp nonstop. It had definitely overindulged this time.

---

Water 7 - Jerry Shipbuilding Company

The shipyard was in total disarray, and the shipwrights looked completely demoralized. The place had been wrecked by the Supernova pirates. Worst of all, their own ships had been used against them—something they could never forgive the Smoke Pirates for.

“Master Jerry! Please let me go after those bastards and sink their damn ship!”

Tom, the foreman of Jerry Shipyard, fumed with rage as he pleaded with his injured master. As a fishman, he was naturally strong—despite being a bit chubby, he could lift entire ships with one hand. If not for Otomi’s stun smoke knocking him out earlier, he would’ve torn that pirate apart.

“Tom, a ship should be judged by its craftsmanship, not the bastard who owns it,” Jerry replied, his body wrapped in bandages, blood still seeping through. “Besides, the shipyard needs you now more than ever. You can’t leave.”

Right now, Water 7 was dealing with more than just pirate attacks. Every year, the city faced a massive tsunami caused by the Aqua Laguna. The residents had no choice but to flee to higher ground to avoid the deadly waves. But each year, the sea level rose even higher.

At the same time, the shipbuilding industry in Water 7 was a cutthroat business. With limited trade in the Grand Line and little communication between islands, competition between the seven major shipyards had turned into all-out war. They fought fiercely to snatch customers—even accepting jobs from pirates.

“Master Jerry, I swear… One day, I’ll bring all the shipyards together and save Water 7!”

The burly fishman clenched his fists, tears brimming in his eyes.

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