One Piece: Hell Pirates

The Hell Pirates were running wild through the West Blue, and the World Government and Navy Headquarters found themselves surprisingly helpless. After all, these pirates could fly—and they were insanely powerful.

Other than Redfield's hometown, which was hit for obvious reasons, no one could predict the Hell Pirates' next move. There were several possible targets, but their movements were erratic and unpredictable.

The Navy speculated their next stop might be Brook's hometown—the Kingdom of Dumora—but even if they guessed right, what could they do?

There were no admiral-level forces stationed in the West Blue. All three admirals were currently gathered in the Grand Line, setting up an ambush at Reverse Mountain, fully prepared to strike once the Hell Pirates tried to re-enter the New World.

The admirals didn't believe for a second that Brook and his crew would stay away from the Grand Line for long. Their base was in the New World. Eventually, they had to return—right?

Wouldn't they be worried about other pirate crews invading their turf?

But in truth, Brook didn't care all that much about the dozen or so small islands under the Hell Pirates' name. The only territories he truly valued were Wano, Sky Island, Ballon Island, and Fishman Island.

The rest? If anyone tried to take them, he could just steal them back later.

What Brook didn't know was that a pitch-black pirate ship had already reached Doragonzo Island… lurking in the shadows with malicious intent.

---

Meanwhile, back on Golden Island, Brook gave Golden Lion Shiki an order—to expand the island.

He was planning to steal the Tree of All-Knowledge from O'Hara.

Don't ask why.

He just felt like it.

With Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, the man could lift more than a dozen islands and keep them airborne for years. Some of them even had dangerous beasts or were seasonal climate zones like Winter Island. That's how insane his power had become.

Right now, though, Golden Island didn't have much—just the main structure of the Golden City, a few high-tech research labs, and a red-soil wheat field they'd recently looted.

But to house the Tree of All-Knowledge? The island needed serious expansion—both in area and volume. Brook wasn't just planning to snatch the tree; he intended to bring the entire population of scholars with it.

After all, they were the brightest minds in the world. If they joined Vegapunk, research would move a hundred times faster. So, Brook figured, why not just bring the whole damn team back to Sky Island?

The scholars in O'Hara had no idea their lives were about to be turned upside down. They were still buried in ancient texts, studying for doctorate-level exams to gain access to more restricted knowledge.

The Tree of All-Knowledge had stood tall for over 5,000 years. It was massive, with a unique hollow trunk that looked like nature's own treehouse.

Generations of scholars had refined it into the world's greatest library.

A sweet, sap-like aroma secreted from the bark kept the books from decaying—no mold, no insects, just preserved knowledge from across millennia.

Every year, authoritative new texts were shipped in from around the world. Getting your book stored in the Tree of All-Knowledge as the highest honor an author or scholar could dream of.

They even had works written in ancient scripts—books so old they dated back to forgotten civilizations. Unsurprisingly, O'Hara's archaeology program was second to none.

---

Shiki had initially thought Brook was being overdramatic.

"Come on, it's just a tree," he had scoffed. "You act like we're moving the Adam Tree or the Eve Tree."

But when the Golden Island finally floated above O'Hara and they saw that monstrous green canopy—covering half the island—Shiki's jaw dropped.

"Okay, okay... maybe you weren't exaggerating."

He stared at the enormous tree and muttered, "It might just fit… but the roots of a 5,000-year-old tree like that? They probably run through the entire island. Moving this thing might just split O'Hara in half."

Still, he began calculating how to levitate the whole thing. Hell, if he had to, he'd just move the entire island. It'd slow their return to the New World, but it was doable.

Brook gave a relaxed nod. "Do whatever works. Float the whole island if you have to. If that doesn't cut it… chop the damn thing down."

He wasn't trying to push Shiki to his limits. But if it came to it, Brook had no problem getting a little aggressive.

Vegapunk, meanwhile, looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

The Tree of All-Knowledge had been on his bucket list since forever. He couldn't wait to dive into the library and feast his brain on ancient knowledge.

---

Down below, O'Hara's citizens panicked.

The town's defenses could barely hold off pirates with a bounty over 20 million berries, and now an entire flying island was casting a shadow over their homeland, darkening the sky and shaking the earth.

Inside the tree, the commotion startled the scholars. They ran outside and stared up in horror.

The floating Golden Island loomed above like some apocalyptic monster. The light was gone. A dark eclipse had swallowed their world.

Shiki maneuvered Golden Island into position and activated the Float-Float Fruit, wrapping the terrain below in a glowing forcefield.

The plan? Uproot O'Hara—tree, scholars, land, and all—and temporarily fuse it with Golden Island before heading back to the New World.

As sunlight returned to the island below, the Hell Pirates descended aboard a golden airship, landing directly in front of the Tree of All-Knowledge.

Shiki immediately got to work, focusing the Float-Float Fruit's power to begin levitating the tree and island chunk.

Vegapunk wasted no time. He rushed into the library, ecstatic, ready to devour everything with his hungry mind.

But the tree's director, Dr. Kutu, wasn't about to roll over.

He stepped forward, his expression grim. As head of the greatest library in the world, he'd seen plenty—but nothing like this. And he recognized these pirates immediately. Their wanted posters were well-documented in the Tree's bounty archives.

When he saw Brook, his heart sank.

"You damn pirate...!" he spat. "If you destroy the Tree of All-Knowledge, you'll be the greatest enemy of humanity! Every scholar on this planet will curse your name for eternity! O'Hara has no wealth! There's nothing here for you! Leave!"

The man was fearless, placing himself in front of the pirates and yelling at the top of his lungs.

If they wanted to touch the Tree, they'd have to go through him.

Brook tilted his head, amused. "Yohoho~… Do I look like someone who's short on cash?"

He stepped forward, his tone turning cold.

"I'm here to inform you—we're relocating the Tree of All-Knowledge. And guess what? You've all been kidnapped. So behave, or we'll chop the tree down, torch the books, and leave you with nothing but regrets."

He raised a hand and flicked it lazily toward Dr. Kutu.

The man's outstretched hand froze over instantly—encased in ice from wrist to fingertip.

Brook smiled thinly.

"I hate being pointed at."

-------------------------

When the curator, Dr. Kutu, was attacked by pirates, the normally timid scholars of the Tree of All-Knowledge threw away their fear. Without hesitation, they rushed toward Brook, standing protectively in front of Dr. Kutu.

Some were trembling in their robes but still stepped forward, glaring at Brook as they clutched rolled-up books like makeshift weapons. Their hearts were full of courage—even if their arms lacked strength.

"Gurararara! Now that's some ambition!"

Whitebeard's signature laugh echoed through the air like a shockwave. The sheer force of it made the scholars' eardrums throb, their hair stand on end, and even their "weapons" shake in their hands. Their faces paled from fright.

"All of us will die one day! But we can't let these pirates destroy the Tree of All-Knowledge! Even if it costs our lives!!"

A slender man with neatly combed black hair adjusted his thick black glasses, his hands trembling as he raised his book like a sword. He yelled with all his might, trying to boost morale—perhaps even his own.

Brook glanced at this desperate scholar and noticed something that made him pause—the book in the man's hand was written in ancient script.

"You an archaeologist?" Brook asked, tone suddenly curious. "How fluent are you in ancient text? And what's your name?"

Brook wasn't one to respect most people—but scholars who could read ancient languages? Those, he gave some credit. Same went for skilled doctors and inventors.

"My name is Nico Barroby," the man replied, straightening with pride. "And yes, I earned my doctorate in archaeology right here at the Tree of All-Knowledge!"

Hearing that name, Brook raised a brow. Nico? Could this guy be related to Robin? No way he's her father—too old. Grandfather, maybe?

"Hey, Barroby! You brought that book outside?!"

A stern-looking silver-haired man smacked the back of Barroby's head. His eyes were sharp with worry as he stared at Brook. "What are you thinking?! You know the World Government forbids us from studying ancient text!"

"S-Sorry, Perrault!" Barroby said, flustered. "I didn't think—I just saw the commotion and brought it out without thinking!"

Too late.

Before Barroby could stash the book back in his robes, a pale hand snatched it away.

Brook flipped through it casually. "Yep. It's the real deal."

"Give that back!" Barroby lunged toward him, blood rushing to his face in panic. He didn't care that Brook could kill him in one move.

"Barroby, no!!" Perrault yelled, diving after his friend. He couldn't let him die like this!

With a wave of his hand, Brook unleashed a wave of icy Underworld energy, instantly freezing both Barroby and Perrault from the chest down. The scholars nearby skidded to a halt, gasping in horror.

Dr. Kutu had already been dragged back. His arm still hadn't thawed—did he really want to become part of a buy-two-get-one-dead deal?

"…Sorry, Perrault," Barroby muttered, finally calming down. "I dragged you into this."

"It's fate," Perrault replied with a wry smile. "Though… I wonder how sad Olivia and Herodotus will be when we're gone…"

Brook tilted his head. "Yohoho… Perrault, was it? You're a loyal friend."

"Hmph. Listen well, pirate!" Perrault growled. "My name is Charles Perrault, and I, too, am a doctor of archaeology! I'm not afraid to die. The moment I stepped on this path, I accepted that risk!"

Brook raised an eyebrow. Another unknown name. Probably a side character. Not that it mattered. Brook's attention drifted.

But Perrault noticed Brook hadn't even blinked when Barroby spoke, and now he was brushing him off entirely. Rage boiled up inside him.

Just as Perrault opened his mouth to shout again, a small silver-haired girl broke free from a weak black-haired boy's grasp and sprinted toward the frozen man.

"BAD GUY! DON'T HURT MY DAD!!"

She threw herself at Perrault's legs, hugging him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her high-pitched voice cracked with emotion, but there wasn't an ounce of threat in it.

"Olivia, no! Go back!" Perrault shouted. "Herodotus, take her away!"

The black-haired boy ran over, shaking with fear. He tried to pull Olivia back but instead dropped to his knees, hugging Barroby's frozen body.

"Dad! Don't die! I'm scared!"

Brook blinked, confused.

Hold up. Olivia? Wasn't that Nico Robin's mom?

Then… shouldn't she be calling Barroby "Dad"?

Things were starting to get weird.

Nicole Olivia… Ciel Olivia?

Oh hell. Brook put it together.

Ciel Olivia must've married into the Nico family, taking Barroby's surname. So her full name became Nico Olivia. Which meant the trembling black-haired boy was—

"Damn. That's Robin's dad, isn't it?" Brook muttered to himself, recalling how little Robin looked as a kid—frail, black-haired, constantly surrounded by books.

No wonder she got a doctorate at eight. Her whole damn family were scholars! With Barroby and Perrault as her grandfathers, both top-level archaeologists, it made sense. Connections, legacy, and a full ride at the Tree of All-Knowledge.

Otherwise, how could a poor girl like Robin even afford the exam fees, let alone an archaeology PhD before puberty?

Brook scratched his head.

As for the whole surname-switching thing? One Piece rarely bothered with it. Oda didn't really write moms. Probably a culture thing from his home country. Brook remembered Vivi's mother was Nefertari Titi, matching her husband Cobra's surname.

Just like that Taiwanese actress—what was her name? Mumu Zhi Wang Ling? Changed to Kurosawa something after marriage. Damn, she really got the short end of that stick.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters

Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03

Change (â) to (a)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Discord Link Here:

https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9