Within the Vesper Pirates, Orion's Wind-Wind Fruit seemed to counter Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit quite effectively—but for now, the two were allies.
The long-absent top-tier Logia Ice-Ice Fruit could easily suppress massive tsunamis, but its whereabouts were currently unknown.
The islands Shiki dropped from the sky could only be destroyed with overwhelming force or neutralized by the Gravity-Gravity Fruit—neither of which the Sea Siren Pirates possessed.
"Calypso, when the time comes, use the charm song of your Siren Fruit to momentarily control the crew of the Island Pirates. I want to kill Golden Lion Shiki the moment he appears!"
A seemingly ordinary pirate ship was racing across the sea. Onboard were Dawei and the core crew, all disguised.
"Captain, leave that tsunami-wielding giant to me!"
Hammerhead Shark Dalma had the same thought: eliminate both the flying Golden Lion Shiki and the tsunami-summoning Newgate in one strike. Though each carried a bounty of 500 million Belly, the Sea Siren Pirates viewed them as far greater threats than Brook with 700 million, or even Redfield and Charlotte Linlin, each with 600 million.
"Good. Tia, unleash your full venom on the Hell Pirates as soon as the battle starts. We need to annihilate them completely. Nothing short of their total destruction will ease the fury in my heart!
And remember, if we fail to defeat the Hell Pirates, the Sea Siren Pirates will be disbanded and absorbed into the Rocks Pirates. I won't be able to protect you then. We'll all have to abide by Rocks' rules!"
Dawei looked at the long-time crewmates who had followed him for years. Each one returned his gaze, eyes burning with determination.
For the Sea Siren Pirates. For the legacy of their former supremacy. For the right to remain independent. They had to give it everything they had and crush the Hell Pirates once and for all.
"Captain! The Sea Siren Pirates will keep making waves across the seas! We'll never disappear!!"
Dalma shouted with tragic valor. This was another crucial battle for their crew's survival.
In their previous struggle for dominance against the Ice Demon Pirates, they had emerged victorious—only for Rocks to ambush them later. To survive, they had no choice but to join the Rocks Pirates.
Now, their upcoming fight against the Hell Pirates would determine whether the name "Sea Siren Pirates" could still exist—and whether they could retain any degree of autonomy.
...
On another island, the Hell Pirates had once again overpowered local defenders, looted everything, and moved on to their next target. Behind them trailed the flagship of the Sea Siren Pirates, steadily but slowly following.
Because of the distance, neither Brook nor Redfield detected the absence of strong fighters aboard that trailing ship.
"Gyahahaha~! I bet Dawei's foaming at the mouth back there. My Float-Float Fruit is the best, after all!"
Golden Lion Shiki was riding high—unstoppable, untouchable. Not even extreme weather had gotten in his way.
"This is going too smoothly," Brook muttered. He wasn't letting his guard down. Dawei was more than capable of killing them. Even though the Sea Siren Pirates' ship had been trailing behind the whole time, there was still the possibility of an ambush with outside help.
"Relax, Brook! What's wrong with things going smoothly? You think Dawei's gonna fly ahead of us and lay an ambush? Please, he's still eating our dust back there!"
Shiki had made sure the Sea Siren Pirates' ship was still following before pushing forward, deliberately dragging them along.
But Shiki's overconfidence only made Brook frown more. It reminded him of the Edd War—when Shiki had surrounded the Roger Pirates in what seemed like a sure victory, only to suffer a crushing defeat, losing most of his fleet... and even getting a steering wheel jammed into his head.
Brook knew Shiki was riding high on ego right now, so he didn't rain on his parade. Quietly, he ordered Redfield and Newgate to be on alert. The further they sailed, the greater the danger.
Following Brook's orders, the crew began taking things seriously. They equipped themselves with Seastone weapons and armor.
Brook eyed Shiki with concern. The more smug this unlucky bastard acted, the more certain he was that disaster loomed.
Shiki: buying oceanfront villas with all his bad luck. Shiki's arrogance made Brook panic!
Who knew when a freak storm might swallow an island whole? Brook quickly told Shakky to monitor the weather for any signs of extreme conditions.
He also had Antonio keep tabs on Rocks' movements. That guy better not pull another bait-and-switch sneak attack like before.
Last time, Dawei had fallen for it. That mimicry user on Rocks' crew had played a key role.
Luckily, one of Rocks' officers had won a prize Den Den Mushi from the World Economic News Agency—capable of locating enemies and tracking the major battles.
With the weather clear and Rocks still away, the biggest threat should've been dealt with, right?
Then Brook remembered what Shiki had just said—"What, is Dawei gonna fly ahead and ambush us?"
The First Law of Superstition: if an unlucky guy like Shiki says it can't happen... it will happen.
Sh*t. Brook finally sensed where that eerie tension was coming from.
"Shakky! Bring me the sea chart!"
Brook, who now controlled both Mortomas and the Umi Family—the two most powerful underworld networks in the New World—had no trouble getting detailed maps of the region.
He spread the chart out, marked the islands already plundered, and took a hard look at the remaining Siren Pirate territories.
Sure enough, if Dawei had taken a shortcut, there were three or four islands he could've reached before them.
So why was the flagship still trailing obediently behind them? That didn't make sense.
Someone like Dawei—someone who'd nearly become an overlord—couldn't be that dumb. So why was he wasting time tailing them?
Watching Brook mark up the map, Redfield immediately picked up on what he was thinking.
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+188 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg