With World stopping his resistance, the rest of the World Pirates quickly followed suit and surrendered. Facing the overwhelming pressure from the Hell Pirates, they figured submission was the smarter move.
Once the pirates were under control, sniper Silva immediately used his Glare-Glare Fruit to scan them. He'd developed techniques like mind-reading and psychic probing, leaving no spy hidden from his gaze.
"Ahahaha~ Brook, Captain, turn them into one of us! Make them stronger!"
World's crimson eyes locked onto his crew, his grin twisted and terrifying. It sent chills through Byojack and the others.
Corrupted by the eerie aura of the Shichiseiken, World was now utterly loyal to Brook. His potential had been unleashed, his thoughts mostly unchanged, but his mindset had turned more aggressive—he'd stop at nothing to eliminate Brook's enemies.
"Captain World snap out of it! How can you let yourself be controlled like this?!"
The fish-man giant Sebastian's eyes welled with tears. He couldn't believe his most admired captain had fallen so easily, reduced to Brook's puppet.
"What are you talking about? Captain Brook granted me power, made me stronger—he's the man I choose to follow! Say that again, and I'll end you myself!"
World's scarlet gaze bore into the fish-man, murderous intent radiating. Controlled? No way—he was willingly serving the superior Brook!
Boom!
The CP agents, sensing the tide turning, launched a desperate counterattack. Chained but unyielding, the three spies swarmed Silva and Stussy, who were guarding the prisoners. They hadn't anticipated the Hell Pirates bringing someone with such a Devil Fruit ability—hiding was impossible now.
No chance for muddying the waters; they regretted not fleeing earlier. Shackled with Seastone cuffs, escape seemed hopeless. Luckily, none were Devil Fruit users, so the cuffs only restrained them—their leg techniques still worked: Soru, Rankyaku, Geppo, Tekkai.
"Mamama, I sense some tasty souls~"
Charlotte Linlin lunged forward, her massive frame and charging speed leaving one CP spy no room to dodge. He braced, scalp tingling, for the monstrous woman's punch.
Tekkai!
The spy's body flushed red, skin gleaming like metallic steel. Holding his breath, brow furrowed, he took Linlin's brute force head-on.
As always, the curse of Tekkai struck true!
The spy's eyes bulged, his body folding like paper under Linlin's fist. He slammed into a nearby hillside, fate uncertain.
The other two spies froze in shock but were swiftly battered and captured by Stussy and Silva, their will to fight shattered.
All the pirates stared in horror at the terrifying Charlotte Linlin, who promptly dug into the dirt, yanking out the limp spy. With one hand, she extracted his soul completely, leaving none behind—the agent breathed his last.
But what they didn't know was that an invisible thread of soul drifted toward Brook, absorbed unnoticed. Everyone's eyes were on Linlin when Brook suddenly swung a sword toward the captured officers like Byojack.
A spray of blood erupted. Brook vanished in a flash, reappearing amid a scream as he unearthed a figure from the ground—none other than the fleeing Cube Man Gairam.
Under Brook's life detection and Observation Haki, Gairam's attempt to rescue the officers was futile—and foolishly bold.
Soon, the last officer, Gairam, was bound in Seastone. With that, the World Pirates were fully in Brook's grasp.
Seeing World under control, the officers glared at Brook with hatred, while the lower-ranking crew begged to surrender and join the Hell Pirates. That was the difference—recruited grunts had no real loyalty; they followed strength.
"Your captain's already joined us. What more do you want? Planning to betray World?"
Brook chuckled lightly. These officers weren't crucial beyond reclaiming the Cube-Cube Fruit—the rest could be disposed of without issue.
"Captain Brook, please restore World to normal. We're willing to join you all."
As the crew's strategist, Byojack knew resistance was pointless. Joining the Hell Pirates was an option, but he just wanted his brother back to his old self.
"You seem to overestimate your worth. You mean nothing to me. World's my subordinate now—why would I change him back?"
Brook didn't expect blind loyalty from all his crew. Turning some into tools was practical.
"Captain Brook, I can convince World. Give us a chance—let us join you wholeheartedly!"
Byojack clung to hope. He just wanted a normal brother, even if it meant abandoning their childhood dreams.
"Yohohoho~ Let's give you that chance!"
Brook's grin widened. The Shichiseiken flashed, drawing blood from the four officers' necks. Green patterns invaded their bodies, turning their eyes red.
But their gazes snapped back to normal almost instantly. They stared at Brook in terror—had they been controlled too? Yet they felt... unchanged.
"Start your performance. World's coming back!"
Brook's Shichiseiken control could restore their free will completely—but at his whim, they'd revert to puppets.
In the original story, Saga's disciple Toma retained his awareness even after control, warning Zoro about the Shichiseiken's horrors.
But Saga, wielding the blade, could dominate Toma with a thought, sending him away to hide secrets from Zoro.
Now, Brook tested if Byojack could sway World into willingly joining the Hell Pirates. World was a hothead—once set on a path, he rarely budged.
If not, they'd all become Brook's tools under the Shichiseiken's sway.
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg