Brook could hear the subtle undertone of provocation in Vesper's voice. Every Conqueror's Haki user hated hearing words like "submission" or "being tamed."
"Captain Vesper, you've got it wrong. These crewmates of mine, they're like siblings—family bound not by blood, but by dreams. We strive and fight together. There's no such thing as submission or dominance here."
Brook replied calmly. This sly old fox—there was a war looming ahead, yet he was still playing these petty games. Wasn't he afraid Brook might just turn around and leave?
"Gehahaha~ Captain Brook, you truly are one of a kind. Let's get down to business, then. You mentioned wanting to deal with Dawei of the Sea Siren Pirates. So instead of waiting for Rocks to attack, why not go on the offensive? Strike Dawei's stronghold. What do you think?"
Vesper was clearly trying to stir up chaos on Dawei's turf by sending the Hell Pirates in, hoping to draw Dawei back for a one-on-one clash.
Meanwhile, the Vesper Pirates and the Butcher Pirates would take on Rocks directly. It wasn't a bad setup—especially with the Ice Demon Pirates on their side, they had the advantage among mid- and low-level forces.
The only real question now was whether Vesper and Saracha could hold their own against Rocks. If they couldn't, all of this was pointless.
"No problem. As you wish."
Brook agreed without hesitation. He wasn't eager to face Rocks just yet either. Using the Sea Siren Pirates as training dummies was the perfect move. If they won, they'd dominate. If they lost, they'd retreat into the skies.
At worst, they'd enter a drawn-out tug-of-war. The Hell Pirates would grow stronger with every fight. Taking down Dawei was just a matter of time.
With Brook honoring the agreement, both Vesper and Saracha nodded in satisfaction. Otherwise, there was no way they'd let the Hell Pirates take over Edward's former territory without a fight.
Without Dawei tying up Saracha and Wilank, they could throw their full weight into the frontline, striking hard at the Rocks Pirates and wiping out their mid- and low-tier combatants.
"Excellent! Captain Brook, I like your style. Let's toast to war—this meeting's done. It's time to mobilize!"
Vesper raised his glass with a shout, prompting the pirates around the hall to cheer in unison. The atmosphere turned rowdy once more.
...
Meanwhile, Shirokiri was scanning the crowd of Hell Pirates, looking for a certain familiar silhouette—but no luck. His heart sank.
He'd heard the remnants of Edward's crew had joined the Hell Pirates completely. So why wasn't Angelie here?
A pirate with a 500 million Belly bounty like her—surely she wouldn't be left behind. Was she guarding the territory?
If he had known this would happen, he'd have taken in Edward's remnants himself. With an 1.1 billion Belly bounty, he outranked Brook easily. And as Vesper's right-hand man, he should've had the upper hand!
He regretted stopping his father from fully absorbing the Edward Pirates back then. Because of that, Angelie managed to preserve their name and autonomy.
Yet she never understood his feelings. Instead, she went and handed herself over to the Hell Pirates on a platter.
If only he'd known she responded better to force than emotion, he wouldn't have wasted time trying to woo her. He should've just taken her, pirate-style. Now he'd lost both his father's favor and the woman he wanted.
Shirokiri strutted over to Brook with a cocky, careless swagger. But the oppressive aura from Brook's four top fighters gave him pause—they were strong. If they all attacked at once, he might not survive the minute.
"Heh~ Captain Brook, I have a small favor to ask. Mind hearing me out?"
His filthy clothes hadn't seen a wash in who-knows-how-long. Even the refined Redfield frowned slightly at Shirokiri's unkempt state. So this was the heir of the Vesper Pirates?
"Yohohoho~ What might Shirokiri, the second-in-command, want from me?"
Brook was a little curious. As far as he knew, they had no major grievances or shared interests.
"Well... I've had my eye on Angelie for a while now. Think you could return her to me?"
Shirokiri rubbed his hands together. If the Hell Pirates hadn't been this strong, he'd have just taken her back by force already.
"What? So you like Angelie, huh? That's news to me—she never mentioned it."
Brook was genuinely surprised. He'd assumed Shirokiri had already claimed Angelie somehow. He'd even been considering growing closer to her himself—keeping her in his little 'pond,' so to speak.
"Haha~ Captain Brook, you know how it is. If you're willing, I'd like to offer one Devil Fruit and five hundred million Belly in exchange~"
Shirokiri gritted his teeth as he made the offer—clearly, this meant a lot to him.
"Shirokiri, you must know—Angelie is now part of the Hell Pirates. She's a crewmate. Selling out a crewmate? That's not something I do.
But how about this: I'll ask Angelie for you. If the feelings are mutual, then sure—consider the Fruit and the Belly her dowry~"
Brook didn't want to sour relations just yet. He played along with a greedy smirk, giving Shirokiri the illusion of a deal. Deep down, he hoped the fool would hand over the goods now.
Shirokiri relaxed when he saw Brook wasn't outright refusing. For a captain, selling a crewmate was taboo—Brook's vague reply gave him hope that he still had a shot at winning her heart.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Captain Brook. Once it's done, you'll get the Fruit and the money—no less!"
But Shirokiri was no idiot. He completely ignored Brook's greedy look and gave nothing up front, which made Brook secretly scoff. Cheapskate. And this clown thought he could win her over? Dream on.
"No problem. Expect good news soon."
Brook smiled with false sincerity as he brushed off the shameless Shirokiri, already deciding he wouldn't lift a finger. Angelie was a potential catch for his pond—no way he'd hand her over.
...
After the rally, the Hell Pirates set sail, soaring through the skies aboard the Golden Ark toward Dawei's territory.
Meanwhile, on Hachinosu Island, the Rocks Pirates had completed their own preparations. As the attackers, their momentum was overwhelming. Not long after their departure, a distress call came in from Dawei's territory.
"Captain Rocks, the Hell Pirates have launched a direct attack on my base. Looks like they're trying to lure me back..."
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+188 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg