Rocks glanced at Dawei, already seeing through his petty little scheme—but it just so happened to align with his own plans.
"Crush the Hell Pirates as fast as you can, then rush back and join the battle. If you can't beat them, then at least hold the line. Otherwise, the Sea Siren Pirates are worthless."
His commanding tone left no room for doubt. Even though Dawei was secretly pleased, he still lowered his head respectfully.
"Understood, Captain Rocks!"
Though he had sworn allegiance to Rocks, Dawei still dreamed of being an autonomous captain with real influence—someone who could dominate his own territory and only obey orders when absolutely necessary.
Without hesitation, he gathered his officers and crew, broke away from Rocks' Grand Fleet, and sailed toward his home waters to crush the Hell Pirates.
...
"Captain Rocks, that guy's always playing both sides. I swear, I'd love to rip him apart!"
Rocket Jonas—thick-limbed and wearing a T-shirt with "ROCKS" blazoned across the front—watched the retreating ship with a scowl.
"Hah! That's rich coming from you! Who do you think you are, some fresh new bounty fodder?" Grimm Vane cackled, flailing dramatically. A skinny man with a feather in his hair and a monkey perched on his shoulder, he was clearly enjoying the show. "You think you can take Dawei on? You? A six-hundred-million Belly nobody?"
"Bastard! Your bounty's only slightly higher than mine!"
"Slightly higher is still higher, small fry!"
...
"Enough!" Rocks growled. "Just finish the job I gave you. Anyone who can't follow orders is nothing but trash."
He shot a cold glance at his crew. He didn't care about their quirks—what he needed were powerful, obedient subordinates. As long as they followed orders, he could tolerate everything else.
This battle was shaping up to be even more intense than the last one. Last time, the Sea Siren Pirates had drawn the attention of both Saracha and Wilank's crews. Though Dawei had been wounded, their interference had still tied up enemy forces.
Now, Rocks would face a pincer attack from Vesper and Saracha, and Wilank might even stick his nose in too. But none of that fazed him.
Vesper was on the decline. Weaker by the day. And Rocks? He was only getting stronger. Even with Saracha backing him—a force even more formidable than Edward—Rocks believed he could win.
Sooner or later, he would unify the New World.
"Captain Rocks, Vesper's already occupied Island. Looks like he's planning to dig in for a defensive battle."
The navigator had already scouted the enemy's movements.
Vesper—cunning and crafty as ever—had chosen a fortified position, betting on grinding down Rocks' forces yet again. Drive him back, buy another few months—maybe even a year—of peace.
Vesper couldn't understand why Rocks was so obsessed with conquering the entire New World. Why not just rule fifty or sixty islands like any other hegemon? Wasn't that enough?
After all, no single crew could truly control the vast New World. There would always be new pirates flooding in, seizing land. Unless someone built a structured pirate empire, total domination was a fantasy.
And with Rocks' kill-or-be-killed system, that dream seemed even more far-fetched. Sure, he might take control for a time through brute force, but with so many lieutenants fighting among themselves, it would always be a fractured world.
A king in name only. Still plagued by infighting. Still just barely holding his throne.
But ambition was ambition. Vesper couldn't change Rocks' hunger for power. And Rocks? He had no interest in governance or ideology. To him, power was everything. The weak obeyed the strong.
The battle had begun...
...
In the waters of the Sea Siren Pirates' base, the Hell Pirates were running rampant. Every outpost they touched fell swiftly, and every stash was looted.
Their boldness and speed forced Dawei to rush back at top speed. Though he'd only ever been a pseudo-emperor, his fleet still controlled over a dozen islands.
Now the Hell Pirates had taken nearly half.
Infuriating.
That Float-Float Fruit... no wonder every emperor wanted it. The mobility it offered was just insane!
"Brook, the Sea Siren Pirates are catching up. Do we keep raiding their islands, or pick a spot and fight them head-on?"
Golden Lion Shiki looked thrilled. Ever since they'd entered Dawei's territory, they'd been plundering nonstop—and this was the most fun he'd had since reaching the New World.
"Keep robbing them blind," Brook said coolly. "Let them chase us. We'll drag them all the way back to their nest and take them out there."
He'd already made a killing from this raid, and the Umi Family had carted off a ton of supplies in the process.
"Roger that! Let's keep robbing!"
Shiki guided a flying island on the wind toward the next target. But back on one of the freshly-raided islands, Dawei had just landed, and his face was stormy.
"Captain, chasing them like this isn't getting us anywhere. Brook's clearly avoiding a direct fight. Maybe he's scared of you. Should we just turn around and raid the Hell Pirates' territory instead?"
Dalma the Hammerhead Shark had lost his patience with the Hell Pirates' hit-and-run tactics. He wanted to raze Brook's Bristol Island to the ground.
"Too late to strike Bristol Island now. We'd never make it in time. Better to fall back to Puso and wait for them there," suggested Calypso—the Sea Siren herself and Dawei's lover. The base was named after her, and it housed their stockpiles and valuables.
They couldn't risk letting the Hell Pirates steal it all.
But Dawei didn't agree. He stared at the route the Hell Pirates were taking through his territory.
He quietly split his forces. Taking a regular ship and his elite crew, he sailed toward one of the islands in the pirates' path—while leaving a decoy team, led by a lesser officer, to continue the chase aboard his flagship.
He didn't want to fight Brook at Puso Island. That kind of battle could destroy the base completely. The Hell Pirates were too destructive—with powers that could unleash tsunamis or drop islands out of the sky.
Instead, he planned to use his knowledge of the terrain. He would ambush the Hell Pirates before they could strike Puso... and personally take down that damned Float-Float Fruit user, Golden Lion Shiki.
If he didn't cut off their escape route, then all this might be for nothing.
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+188 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg