The Memory Seahorse struggled to hop toward the village, its tail already showing signs of wear.
"Once my power gets stronger, I'm going to control someone to carry me around all day. I never want to hop again."
The little creature was on the verge of tears. It was still too young, still in the process of growing by devouring memories. Right now, it wasn't capable of controlling a human yet.
At last, it reached the village. Most of the residents were already fast asleep, making it easier to feast on their memories.
The Memory Seahorse crept up to a house and, without even entering, began absorbing the memories of the sleeping humans within. Strands of glowing, ribbon-like memories drifted through the air and into its mouth.
Tasty. But these memories were so ordinary—nowhere near as flavorful as it had imagined. They merely filled its belly, helping it grow little by little. Who knew how many more years it would take before it could consume enough to evolve into a flying Millennium Dragon?
Brook had already activated his "Life Scan" ability and was patiently waiting for the creature to appear. After circling the village, he finally spotted it—a small, sneaky, pink Memory Seahorse, even tinier than he had expected.
"Enjoying your meal?" Brook asked softly.
The Memory Seahorse absentmindedly nodded, still focused on absorbing memories. Then, as realization struck, it spun around—only to see a towering figure over two meters tall. The eerie, glowing blue eyes staring down at it sent a chill through its body. Terrified, it scrambled away, tumbling and rolling toward its den.
But its hopping speed was, frankly, pathetic.
Brook stepped forward and effortlessly scooped up the tiny creature, examining it with curiosity.
"You're even smaller than I expected. You haven't reached adulthood yet, have you? You can understand me, right? From now on, follow me. I'll take you to feast on stronger, more flavorful memories!"
Gazing at the peculiar pink creature, Brook couldn't help but think it might be useful in the future.
Feeling the icy chill of Brook's skeletal grip, the Memory Seahorse frantically nodded. If it refused, would this terrifying man crush it on the spot? It was just a baby! It had barely been devouring memories for a month!
Brook, satisfied with its response, casually slung the creature over his shoulder. The seahorse quickly wrapped its tail around his coat to secure itself, ensuring it wouldn't fall.
"These villagers' memories are too mundane for you to grow properly. I'll take you out to sea. You can feed on the memories of pirates instead."
Hearing this, the Memory Seahorse bobbed its head enthusiastically—it had just hit the jackpot.
When Shakky saw Brook return from his outing with a pink seahorse in tow, curiosity flickered across her face.
"So this is the memory-eating creature?"
"From now on, it's one of us." Brook introduced it to the others, making sure everyone understood its abilities.
"Memory Seahorse, don't even think about targeting your own crew for a meal," Brook warned.
"What a fascinating creature! I never imagined something existed," Antonio marveled.
"You're one to talk," Shakky shot back, a mix of admiration and exasperation in her voice. "You're a Devil Fruit user who can communicate with Den Den Mushi."
"Speaking of Devil Fruits, Shakky, what kind of ability would you want if you could choose?" Brook asked, using his knowledge of future events to plot his next move. With the right planning, he might even be able to claim a powerful fruit before its destined owner.
"I'd want something that lets me move faster, so I can protect myself!" Shakky answered without hesitation.
"Got it. If I get the chance, I'll even get you the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. That's a top-tier Logia—it grants insane speed and destructive power."
Brook had his eyes on Skypiea. If the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had respawned on Birka, he just might be able to claim it before anyone else.
"Captain, you're not joking, right? That's a Logia-type Devil Fruit! Are you really willing to give it to me? Even if you are, there's no way we'd actually find one. Quit messing with me!"
Even though she knew it was impossible, Shakki was still moved by Brook's words and attitude.
"Alright, get some rest. We set out again tomorrow!"
After a good rest, Brook and his crew set out early in the morning. Their pirate ship left the harbor, and for the first time, the Memory Seahorse experienced sailing on the open sea.
"Shakki, Antonio, you two need to start training your combat skills too. You can't stay weak forever."
Shakki, the intelligence hunter, already had a solid foundation. She had the potential to become a formidable fighter and was more than capable of taking down a Marine Commander. Antonio, on the other hand, was far weaker. His Den Den Mushi-based Devil Fruit hadn't enhanced his physical abilities much; instead, it had strengthened his communication-related powers.
"Understood, Captain Brook! I won't be dead weight!"
After nearly being sold into slavery, Antonio fully understood the brutal truth of this world—power was everything. Without strength, you could easily end up in chains.
"Captain, the course to Water 7 has been corrected. As long as we follow the Eternal Pose, we'll get there."
Glancing at the Eternal Pose on her wrist, Shakki confidently made her report.
The sky was bright and clear, the sea calm. With the wind at their backs, the ship sailed forward. Brook focused on developing his Yomi Yomi no Mi powers, while Shakki and Antonio began their physical training.
The pink Memory Seahorse stared at the ocean, eagerly awaiting the appearance of pirates. Captain Brook had told it that taking down pirates meant a feast of thrilling memories to devour.
"Haha! Captain, those old shipwrights never saw it coming! We set sail on a brand-new ship, then doubled back and robbed them blind!"
A pirate officer laughed heartily, clearly pleased with their latest haul. After looting the very shipyard that had built their vessel, they had made quite the profit.
"The Marines are calling us the most despicable pirate crew now."
The captain of the Mist Pirates, Mist Etsumi, was the user of the Mist-Mist Fruit. His Devil Fruit allowed him to release thick clouds of sleep-inducing mist, making it easy to dispose of enemies. With a bounty of 150 million Belly, he was considered one of this year's Supernovas.
"Those shipwrights actually had the guts to take our money? If we didn't rob them, we'd be disgracing our title as the most ruthless pirates! Mist-haha~!"
"Captain! There's a pirate ship ahead—but no flag!" The lookout peered through a spyglass and shouted his report to Etsumi.
"Some small-time crew? Not many people on board either. Are they runaways? Doesn't matter. Let's loot them!"
Even a small catch was still worth it. Seeing an easy target, Etsumi wasted no time giving the order.
Meanwhile, on Brook's ship, they also spotted the approaching vessel—a brand-new pirate ship flying a familiar Jolly Roger.
"Captain Brook, this isn't good. That's Mist Etsumi, the pirate with a 150 million Belly bounty! Do you think you can take him? If not, we should run!"
Shakki knew all too well about the Mist Pirates' treachery and cruelty. Few had ever survived an encounter with them. The Mist-Mist Fruit was a truly troublesome ability.
"No worries. I'm not afraid of poison mist!"
Thanks to his revived Yomi Yomi no Mi body, Brook was immune to substances that affected flesh. Most poisons and gases had little to no effect on him—unless they were incredibly potent and corrosive.
With that, he grinned, ready for the fight ahead.
+100 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg