Dawei felt suffocated under Rocks' terrifying aura. He knew that if they failed again, even if they fought the Hell Pirates to a draw, Rocks would come down hard on them.
When that happened, the Sea Siren Pirates would be forced to disband and fully merge into the Rocks Pirates. And he himself would have to battle the other officers to claw his way back up the ranks.
His lover, Calypso, and his two loyal officers? They'd probably become targets, bullied and beaten by the others looking to rise.
"I understand. We'll crush the Hell Pirates and deliver a victory to the Rocks Pirates! We'll help Captain Rocks reign over the New World!!"
Dawei declared firmly. He truly believed that with his strength, he could defeat Brook — whose bounty was only 700 million. After all, his own bounty stood at 1.6 billion, once counted among the great powers of the sea.
No way would he believe that he couldn't handle a crew that's only been in the New World for just over a year. Even if they'd absorbed the remnants of Edward's crew, those survivors were barely worth mentioning — a handful of strays at best.
Leaving Hachinosu, Dawei returned to his stronghold, where he began rallying his forces to make his move against the Hell Pirates.
...
All across the New World, every faction was quietly amassing troops, turning the sea calm again — the eerie stillness before the storm. Many independent pirate crews had gone into hiding, hoping to avoid getting dragged in as cannon fodder.
Meanwhile, the Hell Pirates had officially seized control over the waters around Bristol Island, successfully replacing the Edward Pirates as one of the sea's top powers. Even the World Government's newspapers hailed them as a near-Emperor-level crew.
With the fall of the Ice Demon Pirates, the submission of the Sea Siren Pirates, and the annihilation of the Edward Pirates, the balance of power had shifted once more. The World Government redrew the map and declared the return of the "Big Three" rulers of the New World.
Saracha's bounty was raised from 1.55 billion to 2.2 billion Belly — far surpassing Dawei' 1.6 billion — making his crew one of the new dominant forces.
The news infuriated Dawei and Wilank, the leader of the Ice Demon Pirates, but all they could do was seethe in frustration. The Sea Siren Pirates were already reduced to a subordinate crew under Rocks.
As for the Ice Demon Pirates, they no longer had a single fighter worth mentioning. Their only claim to fame was the destructive might of their frost giants from Elbaf — just enough to keep them clinging to the title of a near-Emperor crew, on par with the Hell Pirates.
The World Government and the Navy stayed quiet, watching as the pirate crews clashed in the New World. Even this year's Supernovas chose to linger in the Grand Line, wary of getting sucked into the New World's whirlpool of war.
Two years ago, the famous Supernova crew — the Golden Pirates led by Wunan — had even withdrawn from the New World entirely, returning to the Grand Line and the Four Blues to continue their gold-plundering adventures.
The World Pirates and Roger Pirates kept an equally low profile. Even though they remained in the New World, they quietly focused on strengthening their forces, avoiding major conflicts.
...
Sky Island, Baron Island — New World.
"Gyahahaha! Brook, we're officially a candidate Emperor crew now! Once we take down those Sea Siren Pirates, we'll be one of the Big Four rulers of the New World!"
Golden Lion Shiki was on a high, having spent days personally planting the Hell Pirates' flag on island after island. His whole being radiated excitement.
At last, they had earned the right to stand before the Rocks Pirates as equals — a goal Shiki had pursued ever since Rocks crushed the Flying Pirates.
Brook, meanwhile, was deep in thought, strategizing how to dismantle the Sea Siren Pirates and restore balance between the Emperor crews and Rocks' growing dominance.
If the Vesper Pirates fell, there would be no one left to challenge Rocks — and that would leave Brook's crew directly in his crosshairs.
"This time, we're not only going to beat the Sea Siren Pirates head-on — we're also going to back up the Vesper Pirates. We can't let that old fox Vesper fall. He needs to hold out for a few more years until we're ready to challenge Rocks ourselves!"
"Here's the plan: Linlin and I will take on Dawei. The three of you will each take down their top officers. Once you're done, we join forces to finish off Dawei together!"
"A pirate worth 1.6 billion Belly isn't someone we can topple with just two or three people. We need the combined strength of all five of us. Got that?!"
Brook's intent was clear: he'd have Charlotte Linlin act as a shield while he helped wear down Dawei, buying time for the others to wrap up their fights and join in.
"Brook, don't be fooled by those Sea Siren officers' bounties. Beating them will be a piece of cake!"
Shiki smirked, confident in his mastery of Ryuo Haki — his attack and defense had both leveled up dramatically.
"If it weren't for the fact I want you guys to hone your skills, I'd have the Seastone archers and gunmen fire a volley first!"
Brook wanted his crew to fully integrate their techniques and grow stronger. Otherwise, he'd have gladly let the Sea Siren's Devil Fruit users get a taste of Seastone weaponry.
Thanks to the Vesper Pirates sending over a stockpile of arms, Brook had managed to form an elite Seastone gunner squad — the strongest Sky Island guard unit yet!
"Don't worry, Brook! I'll be the first to crush my opponent and come help you!"
Redfield glanced at the bounty poster of Hammerhead Shark Dalma. Dalma's bounty was slightly higher than his, but Redfield showed no fear.
"Tch. Making me fight a woman, huh? Fine by me — if she's weaker, I'll finish her fast and be the first to join the fight against Dawei!"
Shiki shot Redfield a competitive glare, while Newgate picked up a bounty poster of an ugly woman, scowling but staying silent.
"Brook, about those Devil Fruits you had me and Mortomas look into — we've got leads. No news yet on the Mirror-Mirror Fruit or the Book-Book Fruit, but the Castle-Castle Fruit apparently popped up at an underground auction in West Blue! No word on whether someone's eaten it yet.
As for the Pocket-Pocket Fruit user, they're right here in the New World — reportedly a key member of some shady black market transport company."
Antonio, together with News King Mortomas, had expanded their network and tightened their grip on global intel.
"West Blue, huh? We'll pay them a visit. Even if the fruit's been eaten, we'll find the user."
"And, Redfield — we're also making a stop at Scholar Island, Ohara!"
Brook planned to buy, borrow, or steal some ancient language texts from the famous archaeological hub. After all, if an eight-year-old like Robin could master those writings, surely someone with Redfield's talent and burning hatred for the Celestial Dragons could learn them in a few years.
"Understood, Brook!"
Redfield's eyes gleamed — he had a genuine interest in the ancient language, especially the contents of the red Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island.
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+188 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg