The Roger Pirates' trio—Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban—locked eyes on Shirokiri, Orion, and Brelco. The trio radiated battle-ready intensity, but Orion's face twisted into a cold, venomous sneer.
Over a year ago, Redfield had stared him down with the same fire, and now Redfield's bounty outstripped his own. It pissed Orion off. Back then, Redfield was already worth 550 million Belly, but these three upstarts? Not one of their bounties cracked 300 million, yet they glared at him with fearless defiance. The nerve!
Did they think they were all freaks like Redfield? Did they believe they could pull off the same underdog victories, growing stronger with every challenge? After the Hell Pirates' monstrous rise, Orion wasn't about to go easy on these so-called supernovas. Their bold stares ignited his urge to crush them before they could grow.
"Angelie, handle the weak. These three heavyweights are ours!"
Roger's gaze stayed fixed on Shirokiri, but his voice carried a sharp command to Angelie. His heart pounded fiercely, skin glowing red as he tapped into his secret technique, his entire being primed for battle.
"Tch! Shirokiri, this is the guy you said might outshine me?" Orion scoffed, drawing his sword and charging Roger with blistering speed, eager to test the rookie's mettle. But what happened next fueled his rage—he was pushed back by a mere newcomer!
"Sorry, but your fight's with me. Roger's got Shirokiri!"
Rayleigh's longsword met Orion's strike head-on, parrying it with force and sending him stumbling back. He carved out a new battlefield, pointing his blade at Orion with a cool, unflinching stare.
"Jahaha! Newbies these days are cockier than ever!" Orion snarled, his patience for these reckless upstarts worn thin.
"Fine, I'll send you to the hell in record time!"
A storm of wind whipped up around Orion, his laughter savage. His figure blurred into an afterimage, clashing with Rayleigh in a flurry of strikes. Sparks flew, and the air rang with the screech of steel as they traded dozens of blows in seconds.
Roger, wielding his legendary blade Ace, charged Shirokiri. Brelco made a beeline for Angelie, hoping to catch her off guard and make her "accidentally" fall, but Gaban intercepted with his dual axes, blocking the attack.
Facing an unknown small-time pirate, Brelco's scarred lip curled into a grotesque grin, terrifying a rookie trainee from the Edward Pirates into tears.
Gaban unleashed every ounce of his strength, his axes whirling like a storm as he clashed with the New World veteran. Axe-wielders were known for their raw power, and Gaban's strength edged out even Rayleigh's. He held his own, trading blows with Brelco in a fierce back-and-forth.
Angelie and Bull were about to jump in to gang up on Brelco, but Gaban waved them off. Roger and Rayleigh were fighting one-on-one—how could he, part of the trio, accept help? If word got out, their reputation as equals would take a hit!
With no choice, Angelie and Bull pivoted, joining the Roger and Edward Pirates' crews to take on Shirokiri, Orion, and Brelco's underlings. With two heavy hitters like Angelie in the fray, the tide turned swiftly, pummeling the enemy elites into retreat.
The trio—Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban—were on the back foot, pressured by their opponents. But they held firm, digging deep under the strain, squeezing out every drop of their potential to keep their spirits blazing.
...
Meanwhile, Brook received Angelie's distress call via Den Den Mushi. The Golden Ark's engines roared to full power, its lightning system pushed to the brink of overload. The crew burned through their Wind Shell reserves, unleashing stored gusts in a single burst to maximize speed.
Thundercloud Zeus and Sun Prometheus soared ahead, pulling the ship faster still.
"They've gone too far, Captain Brook!" Shiki fumed. "Angelie says they sent Orion and Brelco. Is Vesper's crew declaring war on us?"
Shiki's temper flared. Shirokiri's reckless antics had escalated into a full-blown invasion by the Vesper Pirates. Their officers had the gall to waltz into Hell Pirates' territory and poach their people!
This was a matter of pride for the Hell Pirates. Even if Brook could stomach it, Shiki couldn't!
"Antonio, track the Rocks Pirates' movements immediately!"
Brook ignored Shiki's outburst, instead ordering his intelligence officer to monitor their most dangerous rival. The Vesper Pirates didn't scare him—what worried him was what Rocks might be plotting.
Vesper was a has-been, a dying ember with only a few years left. This was just his final, desperate blaze, trying to shield his son Shirokiri and pave a path for the Vesper Pirates.
But if it came to all-out war, Brook wouldn't hesitate to send Vesper to his grave. No—Vesper didn't even deserve the death. He'd become one of Brook's spectral generals, enslaved for eternity!
One day, Brook would trample the Vesper Pirates' corpse to stand toe-to-toe with the Rocks Pirates as the ultimate overlord crew!
"Shiki, listen up. Our only real enemies in the New World are the Rocks Pirates and the Marines. Everyone else, including Vesper's crew, is just a stepping stone!"
Brook's pale eyes flickered with a ghostly blue as he spoke with unwavering conviction. The Vesper Pirates were nothing to panic over.
"Jahaha! You're right, Brook—I got carried away!" Shiki grinned, his mind clear. "The Vesper Pirates are just bones in a crypt. If they want a fight, we'll give 'em one!"
Shiki saw it now. The Hell Pirates had options, a future to fall back on. The Vesper Pirates? They were cornered. If Vesper dared to provoke a war, his crew would crumble faster than a house of cards.
If the Vesper Pirates fell early, the Hell Pirates could lay low, bide their time, and emerge stronger to face Rocks. But Vesper's crew had nowhere to run—Rocks would hunt them down and devour them whole.
"Yohohoho! Since Vesper's officers keep barging into our turf, it'd be a shame not to cash in on this opportunity they've handed us!" Brook chuckled darkly. "Either Vesper coughs up Conqueror's Haki infusion, or he'll learn what it's like to lose a son in his old age!"
Brook wasn't one to take a hit lying down. If Vesper didn't pay up with that sweet Conqueror's Haki technique, this feud was far from over!
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