Seeing that the Qilin Lion still refused to submit, Redfield stepped forward once more to fight it. Before long, he defeated the beast.
"Look at all those rare creatures you tried to protect. Every single one ran away—none of them came back for you, except for this parrot! How about it? Come with me and see the wonders of the world beyond this island!"
Despite being gravely injured, the Qilin Lion turned its head away, ignoring Brook completely.
"No choice then. Redfield, record its inner memories! Memory Seahorse, swallow its memories—I'm starting over with a fresh recruit!"
As Parrot Assistant tried to intervene, Brook knocked him out cold.
"Memory Seahorse, take this parrot's memories too—but make sure to keep its ability to talk. From now on, it's our ship's translator and lookout."
The Memory Seahorse eagerly dashed forward, relishing the feast of memories. Following Brook's instructions, it consumed the recent memories of both creatures, erasing everything past a certain point in their lives.
"Captain Brook, are you sure this is okay?"
Fisherman Tom hesitated, his people despised oppression and deceit.
"We didn't harm them, and now they're valuable crewmates!"
The Memory Seahorse let out a satisfied belch, signaling its task was complete. Meanwhile, Shakky and Antonio hurried to stop the Qilin Lion's and Parrot Assistant's bleeding and bandage their wounds.
"Don't worry, Tom. The waterfall clouds here will continue to protect this island. I'm sure a new beast king will rise soon enough."
Tom might not have realized it, but the Qilin Lion's rule was passed down through its horns. While Redfield wasn't particularly fond of this method of recruiting crew members, he understood Brook's decision.
Having suffered the loss of his previous crew, Brook was determined to build a strong team. Redfield could respect that. If he wanted to help Brook achieve his dream, he had to grow even stronger himself.
They carried the Qilin Lion and Parrot Assistant aboard. The rare beasts on the island watched in despair, wailing loudly as their king was taken away. And yet, they hadn't been so loyal when they fled moments ago.
Back aboard the Yellow Springs, after a short rest, the crew rode the waterfall clouds and set sail once more toward Drum Island.
...
Half a day later, the Qilin Lion King and Parrot Assistant finally woke up, looking around in confusion at Brook and the others. Redfield and Brook wasted no time in re-educating them.
The Qilin Lion's memories now only contained those from before it fused with the beast king's horn, making it just a particularly strong rare lion. As for Parrot Assistant, it now had only the memories of a parrot that had just learned to speak human language.
Under Brook's persistent brainwashing, both creatures soon accepted the story that their "captain" had saved them, and they now belonged to the crew.
And just like that, the Qilin Lion became Brook's mount, training its abilities daily with Parrot Assistant translating its thoughts.
Slowly, even Fisherman Tom and Redfield began to accept the two clueless yet endearing rare beasts.
...
"Captain Brook! I see it—the snowy island ahead!"
From the top of the mast, lookout Parrot Assistant flew down to report. Navigator Shakky quickly pulled out the sea chart and the Eternal Pose, confirming their location—Drum Island.
Fisherman Tom, both shipwright and helmsman, made a slight course adjustment, steering toward their destination. Redfield, fresh from a sparring session with Brook, helped adjust the sails.
Inside the ship's cabin, sniper Silva was modifying his bullets, while intelligence officer Antonio spoke with a Den Den Mushi, attempting to intercept any useful information from its network.
Before long, Brook spotted three towering, snow-covered peaks resembling massive drums. This was a well-known winter island on the Grand Line—an advanced medical nation.
"By the way, do you all have warm clothing?"
As someone who had returned from the dead and was constantly surrounded by the chilling aura of the underworld, Brook was completely immune to the cold.
Shakky immediately went back to change into a stylish winter outfit, while Silva and Antonio donned thick coats. The burly Fish-Man, Tom, simply shrugged off the need for one.
Seeing that Brook wasn't wearing any extra layers, Redfield decided he wouldn't either—this was part of his training.
Brook shook his head silently. I'm immune to the cold, it's not some kind of training. In the end, he simply told Antonio to bring a spare coat, just in case.
Since Drum Kingdom was a member of the World Government, Brook and his crew couldn't just sail the Yellow Springs into an official port without drawing immediate hostility. That was the nature of being a pirate—aside from pirate-friendly towns or rogue nations, docking openly was out of the question. Finding a secluded landing spot was simply a matter of survival.
Brook had two reasons for coming to Drum Island: first, to see if he could find a doctor with exceptional talent, second, to examine his body and determine whether he still had the possibility of leaving behind an heir. If it turned out that fathering children was out of the question, he could put the thought to rest and focus entirely on pursuing ultimate strength and immortality.
Brook rode atop the Qilin Lion, and Shakky effortlessly jumped on as well, showing no signs of embarrassment. Thick-skinned as ever.
At this time, Wapol's grandfather should still be the reigning king. His policies were excellent, attracting numerous talented medical practitioners to the country. Medicine and treatments here were constantly evolving, and the kingdom had a solid reputation.
They claimed their doctors could even reattach a severed head—proof of their advanced medical skills. Various cutting-edge medical technologies thrived in this land.
"Everyone, feel free to explore and find whatever you need!"
As the Hell Pirates prepared to enter town, Brook handed each crew member a few million Belly for expenses. Antonio, being the least independent, stuck with the captain. Shakky, ever the information broker, went off to gather intelligence.
Tom, the shipwright, went looking for floating materials. The sharpshooter, Silva, searched for chemicals to enhance his ammunition. Meanwhile, Redfield, driven by battle-lust, simply wandered around in hopes of finding a worthy opponent for a duel.
Memory Seahorse and Parrot Assistant remained perched on the Qilin Lion's back. Feeling sorry for Antonio, they let him ride along, drawing plenty of attention in the process.
The Qilin Lion was simply too extravagant—its golden horns and majestic wings made nobles and wealthy merchants alike stare in awe, envy, and greed.
Thankfully, there were no arrogant, brainless Celestial Dragons here. Otherwise, they would have immediately tried to seize it for themselves. In their eyes, only "gods" like them were worthy of such a mount.
Brook approached a passerby and inquired about Dr. Kureha. The man was visibly intimidated by Brook's presence.
"You're looking for that old witch? She's got a nasty personality and charges a fortune! I'd advise against it. We have plenty of other highly skilled doctors in this country!"
Brook frowned slightly, his expression turning cold. The man immediately flinched, quickly pointed in a direction, and then bolted without another word...
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg