The heavy tungsten doors of the Thousand Sunny's research laboratory slid open with a soft hiss. Brook stepped inside, taking off his top hat and bowing politely.
"You asked to see me, Magician-san?" Brook asked, his cane sword resting lightly against the floor.
Ben was sitting at his desk, surrounded by floating holographic blueprints. He dismissed the screens with a wave of his hand and turned to face the musician.
"Take a seat, Brook," Ben said, gesturing to a stool. "We need to talk about your role on the crew."
Brook sat down, his posture stiffening slightly. "If this is about my failure to properly slice the onions yesterday, I deeply apologize. I am still adjusting to the kitchen's layout."
"It's not about the onions," Ben chuckled. "It's about your combat capabilities. Right now, compared to the rest of the crew you are physically the weakest member on board."
Brook looked down at his bony hands. He knew it was true. He had speed, but he lacked the overwhelming power, durability, and Haki the others possessed. "I understand," Brook said softly. "I will train twice as hard to catch up."
"You don't have muscle fibers to tear and rebuild, Brook," Ben pointed out logically. "Standard physical training won't do much for you. But if you want to sail into the New World with us and survive to see Laboon, you need an upgrade."
Brook looked up. "An upgrade? What should I do?"
"I can increase your power and durability right now," Ben explained, standing up and walking over to a nearby workbench. He picked up a solid block of dark, heavy metal. "I am going to coat your entire skeletal structure in Uru metal. It is an incredibly dense, magically conductive alloy. It will make your bones practically unbreakable."
"Unbreakable bones?" Brook gasped. "Yohoho! That sounds incredibly safe!"
"That's just the foundation," Ben continued. "Once the metal sets, I will carve magical runes across your entire body. Each rune serves a different purpose—some for absolute gravity and weight manipulation, and others to grant you command over the elements. You'll be able to channel fire, lightning, and the freezing ice of the underworld directly through your blade, along with a few runes for defensive shielding."
Brook nodded resolutely. "I am ready, Ben-san. Please, upgrade me."
Ben didn't waste time. He tapped into his alchemy and creation abilities. The block of Uru metal liquefied, floating into the air before wrapping itself around Brook. The liquid metal seeped into the porous structure of his old bones, fusing perfectly with his biology.
Once the metal set, giving Brook a dark, metallic sheen, Ben used his magic to carve intricate, glowing runes across the skeleton's skull, ribs, and limbs.
As Ben carved the final rune on Brook's sternum, the bright glow faded. Then, the dark, heavy appearance of the Uru metal completely vanished, leaving Brook looking exactly like a normal, bleached white skeleton again.
Brook blinked his empty eye sockets, looking at his hands. "It disappeared!"
"One of the runes acts as a permanent concealment charm," Ben explained, putting his wand away. "No one can see the metal or the runes, but the durability and magic are fully integrated. Your bones are now harder than steel."
Brook stood up. He felt different. He felt a deep, resonant hum of power resting on his bones.
"Now," Ben smiled. "It's up to you to figure out exactly what those runes can do. Head down to the training Chamber and test out your new powers. Zoro is in there right now if you need a sparring partner."
"Thank you, Ben-san!" Brook bowed deeply, picking up his top hat. "I will not let you down! I shall go test my new unbreakable body immediately!"
As Brook turned and marched happily toward the door, he excitedly channeled a bit too much spirit into his new skeletal structure.
Fwomp.
Mid-stride, the gravity manipulation rune flared wildly. Brook instantly lost all of his physical mass, becoming lighter than air. He floated straight up, bumping softly against the laboratory ceiling like a lost helium balloon.
"Oh, my!" Brook gasped, his limbs flailing uselessly in the air. "I seem to be experiencing a lack of gravity! Or perhaps gravity is experiencing a lack of me! Yohoho... wait, how do I get down?"
Ben sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He tapped his comms. "Merry, bring a broom to the lab. We have a stray balloon."
A few moments later, Merry trudged in, hooked the handle of a sweeping broom around Brook's ankle, and casually pulled the apologizing skeleton back down to the floor.
As Brook hurried out of the lab to practice his elemental control, Ben checked his pocket watch. He had an appointment to keep.
He closed his eyes, focusing on a specific set of coordinates halfway across the world.
CRACK.
With a sharp sound of displaced air, Ben vanished from the Thousand Sunny.
Baltigo - The Isle of White Soil
Deep within the hidden headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, Supreme Commander Monkey D. Dragon stood over a massive map table in his private war room.
Suddenly, the air in the room warped. Dragon's sharp instincts flared. He tensed his muscles, his hand hovering near his side, ready to unleash a devastating burst of wind.
CRACK.
Ben materialized a few feet away, adjusting his suit jacket.
Seeing the familiar face, Dragon relaxed his stance. The fierce, stormy look in his eyes softened slightly.
"Ben," Dragon greeted him, his deep voice echoing in the quiet room.
"Dragon-san," Ben nodded in return. He walked over and casually pulled up a wooden chair, taking a seat at the map table. "Good to see the base is still quiet."
"It remains hidden," Dragon confirmed, taking a seat across from him. "How is Kuma doing? And his daughter?"
"They're doing well," Ben answered. "I was able to purge the cybernetic overrides completely. Kuma is human again. He has his memories and his free will."
Dragon let out a rare, quiet sigh of profound relief. "Thank you. I owe you a great debt for saving him. I call him and gave Kuma a month-long vacation to spend some quiet time with Bonney before he comes to here. They both deserve it. After that, Bonney will return to your crew."
"We'll be glad to have her back," Ben smiled. "And what about Sabo? How is he adjusting to the Goro Goro no Mi?"
"The lightning fruit," Dragon nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "He is putting it to very good use. Combining his martial arts with the speed of lightning has made him exceptionally dangerous. He is currently out on a mission, testing the limits of his new powers."
"Good," Ben said. "Because I brought something else for you."
Ben casually snapped his fingers. A small spatial rift opened in the air above the table. A strangely shaped, metallic-looking fruit dropped onto the maps.
"The Jiki Jiki no Mi," Ben explained, pointing at the fruit. "Magnetism. Extracted it from Eustass Kid. Keep it. Give it to one of your trusted commanders."
Dragon looked at the Devil Fruit. He didn't ask how Ben extracted it; he had grown accustomed to the Magician casually delivering world-altering artifacts and impossible magic. Dragon simply nodded and placed the fruit in a lockbox under the table.
"I appreciate it," Dragon said.
Ben waved his hand again. The spatial rift expanded.
Two heavy bodies dropped out of the rift, landing in the corner of the war room with a dull thud. It was Eustass Kid and his first mate, Killer. They were both unconscious and completely unarmed.
Before Dragon could even ask, Ben spoke up.
"We had a disagreement at Thriller Bark," Ben explained casually. "I extracted Kid's fruit, and then I wiped their memories. Both of them. Right now, they don't know who they are, they don't remember their grudges, and they don't know they were pirates."
Dragon stared at the two unconscious men.
"They have excellent baseline combat skills and strong willpower," Ben suggested. "I thought they might be a good addition to the Revolutionary Army. A clean slate for two strong fighters."
Dragon looked from the men to Ben, processing the sheer efficiency of the Magician's actions. "I will have them placed in the training corps when they wake up. If they show promise, we will use them."
Dragon folded his hands on the table, looking at Ben directly. "I received Kuma's report about Enies Lobby and Thriller Bark. Why didn't you ask for our help? If you were planning to assault a major World Government stronghold, the Revolutionary Army could have provided support."
"We weren't at a disadvantage," Ben shrugged lightly. "We spent fourteen months training with Garp in the Time Chamber. We needed to test our own strength to see where we stood. Thriller Bark was the perfect measuring stick. If the situation had actually turned dire, I would have called you."
Dragon nodded, accepting the logic. "Where is your next destination?"
"The Sabaody Archipelago," Ben replied.
"Sabaody is right next to Marineford," Dragon warned. "With your new bounties, the Marines will be looking out for you over there. It is a dangerous place to stop."
"It was the Captain's order," Ben shrugged again. "We follow his lead. As for getting caught, I can make disguises that will fool anyone. We'll be fine."
Dragon nodded. For the next hour, the two men sat in the war room, quietly discussing the future movements of the Revolutionary Army and the shifting tides of the New World.
Marine Headquarters - Marineford
In his spacious office, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was pacing back and forth behind his desk. His pet goat was quietly chewing on a discarded report in the corner.
"Where is he?" Sengoku muttered, rubbing his temples. "It's been four days since the incident at Thriller Bark. The fleet returned, but Kizaru is still missing in action."
Sengoku stopped pacing. "The Magician. Edgar D. Benjamin. Did he trap Borsalino in some alternate dimension where he can't escape like door door fruit? I may have to authorize a search party using his Vivre Card."
The door to the office opened, and Vice-Admiral Garp strolled out, munching loudly on a rice cracker. He walked down the hallway, far enough away to avoid Sengoku's yelling.
Garp casually pulled up his sleeve and tapped the sleek black Kimoyo Bead on his wrist.
In Baltigo, Ben's wrist buzzed. He raised his arm, tapping the bead while sitting across from Dragon.
"What's up, Garp-san?" Ben answered cheerfully.
"What's up my ass!" Garp scolded over the comms, his voice barking through the small bead. "What happened to Kizaru?! He's been missing since your little skirmish at Thriller Bark. Sengoku is pacing a hole in the floor thinking you locked him in a magic box!"
Ben chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "What does that have to do with me? I just teleported him to one of the uninhabited islands in the East Blue to get him off the battlefield. If he doesn't want to come back, what should I do?"
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
In the hallway of Marineford, Garp stopped chewing his cracker. He processed the information. Kizaru was in the peaceful, quiet East Blue. He was unharmed. He just wasn't reporting in.
Garp slapped his own forehead with a resounding smack.
"That lazy idiot," Garp muttered. He spoke back into the bead. "Thanks for the information, Magician. Bye."
He cut the call.
Garp turned on his heel and barged back into Sengoku's office, not bothering to knock.
"Sengoku!" Garp shouted. "Have you ever thought that maybe Borsalino is just sprawling around somewhere, lazing on a beach without any intention of coming back to work?"
Sengoku froze. He thought about Kizaru's general work ethic. He thought about the Admiral's penchant for avoiding unnecessary effort.
Sengoku slowly raised his hand and slapped his own forehead.
"That lazy fool," Sengoku gritted his teeth. He picked up his Den Den Mushi. "Get Vice-Admiral Gion in my office immediately!"
A few minutes later, Vice-Admiral Gion—known by her alias Momousagi—entered the office. She stood tall, a sword resting at her hip, looking entirely professional.
"You called, Fleet Admiral?" Gion asked.
Sengoku opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper—Kizaru's Vivre Card. He slammed it onto the desk.
"Take this," Sengoku ordered, his voice tight with frustration. "Track down Admiral Kizaru. I don't care where he is. Find him, and physically drag him back to Marineford. You have full authorization to use force if he complains."
Gion nodded, taking the card. "Understood, sir."
She turned and left the office.
Sengoku slumped into his chair, rubbing his temples. "When he gets back, I am going to make him work overtime for a month. No breaks. No tea times."
The East Blue - An Uninhabited Island
Thousands of miles away, on a quiet, pristine white-sand beach, the sound of gentle waves washing ashore was interrupted by a loud, content yawn.
Admiral Kizaru was lying perfectly comfortable in the shade of a large palm tree. He was still wearing the same yellow, polka-dot boxer shorts Ben had left him in, his hands resting behind his head.
"Moshi mosh..." Kizaru murmured sleepily, pulling his tinted sunglasses down slightly to block the sun. "It really is quite peaceful here. I wonder if they've noticed I'm gone yet..."
He closed his eyes, deciding that returning to Marineford could wait at least a few more days.
Unknown Waters - The Grand Line
The fog of the sea clung heavily to the dark, choppy water.
Far beneath the surface, Marshall D. Teach was sinking. After the devastating blast from Ace that had blown him off the northern cliffs of Thriller Bark, he had hit the freezing ocean. Instantly, the sea had sapped his strength. Unable to move a single muscle, he sank like a stone into the crushing, lightless depths of the sea.
His lungs burned. The surface light was completely gone. Just as his vision began to tunnel and fade into absolute black, a massive, unnatural shadow glided through the deep water beneath him.
A pitch-black vessel, moving silently through the ocean currents, loomed out of the dark. A figure reached out into the freezing water, grabbing the drowning pirate by the collar of his shredded coat and hauling him upward out of the abyss.
Minutes later, Teach was thrown violently onto the solid wooden deck of the ship, which now drifted on the surface amidst the heavy fog.
Teach coughed up gallons of seawater, gasping greedily for air as his lungs expanded. He lay on his back, shivering violently, his strength slowly returning now that he was out of the water.
As he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, he noticed something unsettling. The massive black ship was moving steadily against the direction of the wind, yet no sails were drawn. The hull didn't creak. The water lapping against the wood made absolutely no splashing sound. The entire vessel seemed to actively absorb the ambient noise of the ocean, creating a suffocating, unnatural stillness.
For a man as ambitious and reckless as Blackbeard, the sheer, eerie silence of the ship sent a genuine chill down his spine.
Standing by the railing, looking down at him, was a man. His face was hidden in the shadows of a heavy hood, but Teach could see the jagged edges of a severe burn scar marking his exposed jawline.
The man didn't move to help him up. He simply stared down at Blackbeard.
He spoke a few words, his voice low and muffled by the mist.
Teach's eyes widened slightly as he heard the man. A weak, desperate grin touched his lips. He nodded once, hauling his heavy body off the deck and stepping into the chilling shadows to forge a new, dangerous alliance.