Sensing the tide turning against him, Brelco bolted, abandoning his crew without a second thought. His destination? The mighty Rocks Pirates, the strongest crew out there.
The Vesper Pirates were done for him. After a year of serving Vesper, Brelco knew he was likely being set up as cannon fodder.
The moment Vesper ordered him to capture Angelie, he saw the writing on the wall. No matter what he did, it was a lose-lose situation. If he brought Angelie back as the young master's bride, she'd have it out for him. If he crossed paths with the Hell Pirates, he'd be the sacrificial lamb to appease Angelie and let Brook sweep the whole mess under the rug.
So Brelco made up his mind to take out Angelie—the woman plotting his death. Whether he stayed with the Vesper Pirates or jumped ship to the Rocks Pirates, eliminating her would neutralize the threat. Killing Angelie was his only way to secure his future.
He'd made his final call: the Vesper Pirates didn't suit him. Their ways clashed with his nature and ambitions. The Rocks Pirates, with their "might makes right" creed, were the perfect fit for a guy like him.
...
The sudden arrival of the Hell Pirates threw everything into chaos. Orion ditched his fight with Rayleigh and Gaban, vanishing into a howling storm that swept across the island.
Orion reappeared beside Shirokiri, grabbing him to make a break for it. This wasn't the time to chase skirts! Shirokiri, unbelievably, wanted to rush over to Brook's side to check on Angelie's fate.
"Get it together, man! We're on their turf! The Hell Pirates will have us for breakfast if we don't move!"
Orion unleashed a full-blown hurricane, scattering the Roger Pirates' crew like leaves. He swept up his own men, ready to retreat.
A bolt of lightning crackled toward Orion, but he narrowly dodged, the strike halting his escape.
"We had a deal, Redfield! Shirokiri's mine—you handle your old pal Orion!"
A brash voice cut through the storm. Golden crescent-shaped sword arcs rained down, tearing the ground apart like a barrage of missiles, leaving gashes several meters deep.
Orion and Shirokiri spotted the wild blonde mane of Golden Lion Shiki, followed by the stone-cold, expressionless Red Count Redfield.
"Jahahaha! Roger, you're not looking so hot, but holding your own against Shirokiri this long? Not bad for a guy me and Brook have our eyes on! Now, Shirokiri's my fight!"
Shiki swooped down from the sky, zeroing in on Shirokiri. He ignored Roger's attempt to speak and made sure Redfield didn't steal his opponent.
His twin blades, flashed with ferocious speed, striking downward and forcing Shirokiri back dozens of meters. The attack snapped Shirokiri out of his Angelie obsession, bringing him back to the fight.
Sly as ever, Shiki manipulated a massive earthen fist, smashing an unsuspecting Roger toward Rayleigh and Gaban to keep him out of the way. No interruptions from that loudmouth!
Redfield's Conqueror's Haki locked onto Orion. Drawing his noble sword, he faced the familiar young rival who'd surpassed his bounty in just over a year.
Bounties didn't mean everything, though. If the Vesper Pirates' full force were here, Orion would've relished a rematch with Redfield. But with the Hell Pirates closing in, sticking around was a bad call. His mission was to get Shirokiri out, not brawl with Redfield.
...
Elsewhere, Angelie miraculously opened her eyes. Coming to, she found herself in Brook's arms. She wasn't dead. Her organs, which should've been shattered, felt no trace of that crushing pain.
Her final glimpse before passing out and her first sight upon waking were both of this infuriating skeleton captain!
Staring at the familiar, expressionless Brook, Angelie felt an unexpected warmth—a sense of safety, like the dependable strength of her father, Edward.
"Good thing I made it in time! No amnesia? No body-snatching? Feeling okay?"
Brook helped Angelie to her feet, noticing her dazed stare. He pinched her cheek, firing off a rapid-fire trio of questions.
"I'm fine! Wait—where's Brelco? We've gotta take him down!"
Angelie snapped out of her haze, the gentle touch on her cheek bringing her back. Blushing, she scrambled to her feet, scanning the chaos to hide the flustered spark Brook's concern had ignited.
"Angelie, you're really alive! That's incredible!"
Bull, seeing Angelie up and moving, wiped tears of joy from his eyes. The Hell Pirates' doctor was a miracle worker—fixing shattered organs?
As he spoke, a figure crashed nearby. Charlotte Linlin, one hand crackling with thunderclouds, the other wreathed in flames, charged forward. She accelerated, diving into a fierce clash with the figure she'd just sent flying.
...
With the Hell Pirates' timely arrival, the Roger Pirate breathed a sigh of relief. Roger had taken a hit from Shiki's earthen fist, but he was fine, not pushing his luck further.
Roger and Rayleigh collapsed spread-eagle on the ground. Roger, exhausted but exhilarated, grinned wide despite his fatigue. Rayleigh, battered and bloodied from sword wounds, grimaced in pain as he lay down, every movement stinging.
The Roger Pirates' crew rallied around their leaders. The ship's doctor rushed to treat Rayleigh's injuries—thankfully just surface wounds, with the worst only piercing muscle.
Brook glanced up at the ongoing battles. Shiki's entrance was flashy, but he was already struggling, outmatched by Shirokiri within a few dozen exchanges. Orion's basic Armament Haki flow couldn't hold a candle to Redfield's Ryuo Haki.
Charlotte Linlin, meanwhile, was dominating Brelco. Her attacks—a mix of sky-shattering thunder and blazing fire—were relentless. Unlike Gaban's dual axes, which Brelco could block, Linlin's assaults were unstoppable.
Her natural brute strength and steel-like skin gave her high offense and defense. Brelco, still reeling from a hit by Bull, was noticeably weakened.
"Captain Brook, I've spotted the Rocks and Vesper Pirate fleets! They're closing in from two directions, right into our territory!"
Sniper Silva, perched atop the Golden Ark, patched through to Brook's Den Den Mushi. His Glare-Glare Fruit let him track the enemy's movements with pinpoint accuracy.
"I can clearly see Vesper and Rocks—they're coming in hot! They'll be here in about two hours!"
Silva's voice carried a mix of tension and irritation. Were they really about to spark an overlord-level war on the Hell Pirates' turf? This was not good news for the crew.
-----------
+280 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg