After reading the latest headlines, even Brook was shaken by Rocks' monstrous strength. He took down both Teach Ewald and Diger Sparrow within just half a year.
Even if Teach Ewald was more of a support and a harasser, he was still a pseudo-overlord. But with Diger Sparrow as the main attacker, they still got stomped by Rocks.
If the Rocks Pirates keep ruling the New World like this, it's gonna choke the growth of the Hell Pirates. As the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." It's time for the Hell Pirates to step into the ring and fight for dominance!
The goal is to join up with the Diger Pirates' alliance, let them lead the charge against Rocks, and let the Hell Pirates quietly grow stronger. Then one day—bam—devour the alliance from the inside and become the top dogs going up against Rocks.
Brook immediately recalled his crew, and everyone came back full of energy. It was clear that every single one of them had grown stronger over the past six months. The four core fighters had all mastered Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) Haki!
Hiruba seastone bullets were now in unlimited supply, and the luxurious seastone armor and weapons built by Fishman Tom and his crew were top-tier.
"Brother Brook, we're finally heading back out to sea! I've been going stir crazy!! Hahahaha~!"
Golden Lion Shiki was hyped—he'd finally completed his training. Newgate and Redfield were also itching for a brawl, and Charlotte Linlin was ready to reclaim Sheep House.
"Shiki, your island's floating this way. Move all the seastone weapons and gold under the castle to it. Redfield, start forging a golden city with your thunder metallurgy. Work with Tom, Hiruba, and the rest to install some electromagnetic cannons.
Shakky, inform the troops in Wano to gather their forces. Tell Hanazhi to fortify Haikdou —we can't let the Kozuki clan reclaim it!"
During the Wano trip, aside from learning Ryuo Haki, they struck it rich—scoring piles of gold and a massive haul of seastone weapons.
Even the Memory Seahorse's horns and tail were now seastone-equipped—not to mention the other elite crew members. The claws, fangs, horns, and wings of the Kirin Lion were now fully armored with seastone gear.
Brook had also recruited the Seastone Archers, a team of swordsmen who had all passed Redfield's loyalty test.
There was another team incoming—seastone musket specialists. Might be time to hit up Diger for a fat order of weapons and tech blueprints!
A few days later, the mayor arrived in Haikdou City to begin guard duty, and Shiki and Redfield finished transforming the floating island. A golden city rose from its center, bristling with electromagnetic cannons and imitation Pluton-class firepower.
It was even more terrifying than a Navy fortress—basically a flying luxury battleship fortress.
The subordinates from Wano were stunned by the insane power and resources of their captain. The families had now recognized Brook as their true leader, becoming his direct forces.
Even Ashura Doji had become Brook's second apprentice, skyrocketing the Ashura Clan's status in Kuri—now rivaling even Lord Hanazhi of HaikdouCity.
"We'll be gone at sea for a while. Guard Haikdou in our absence."
The clan leaders lowered their heads and respectfully accepted Brook's orders. Ashura Doji, the battle junkie, would be joining Brook's crew on the voyage, hoping to break through and reach the level of Great Swordsman.
Hanazhi also wanted to go, but he wasn't strong enough yet—and someone had to stay to defend Haikdou.
After all the arrangements, the golden spaceship Erebus docked at shore and loaded up the Seastone Archers and the Swordsman Division—off to the New World!
Hanazhi watched the flying island with envy in his eyes. One day, he swore, he'd stand on that island and feel the ocean wind on his face.
The Ashura Clan, Fukugami Clan, Chiyo Clan, Hattori Clan, Sarutobi Clan, Zaemon Clan, and the Flower Clan created by Hanazhi—these were the six main clans under Brook, each one strong enough to field their own swordsman.
The Flower Clan had the weakest foundation, but Brook personally valued them highly, so no one dared look down on them.
"Deputy Mayor Chiyo, how'd you like to head the Uzuki Seastone Quarry? Once Lord Brook takes over Itachi Port, I'll recommend you to be its mayor."
Now, the only port still under Kozuki control in Kuri Province was Itachi Port. Due to the isolation policy, the other ports were either wrecked or locked down under heavy patrol.
Anyone trying to set sail was immediately jailed or conscripted.
Itachi Port might be a wreck now, but under Brook's rule, it'd thrive. Chiyo Jue gladly accepted Hanazhi reassignment.
"Pengnan, your brother's heading out to sea. You're in charge of the Haikdou City Guard!"
Ashura Pengnan nodded and accepted Hanazhi's command, taking over city security.
"As for the rest of us, we just need to be ready to counter the Shogunate big moves. We've got to protect Lord Brook's foundation!"
Hanazhi felt like a real daimyo now—equal to the lords of Kuri. The mayors of the major clans all treated him with great respect.
But Brook had made it clear—power only comes through strength. So Hanazhi trained like mad, trying to reach peak swordsmanship and one day sail with Brook, aiming to break into the realm of a Great Swordsman.
Right now, he was at beginner-level swordsmanship. Ji Inuarashi, the god of fortune, had reached advanced level. The others sat at mid-tier, while only Ashura Doji had hit peak swordsmanship.
If the four daimyos teamed up to attack Haikdou Castle, they probably couldn't hold out. But Brook had left behind a thunderbolt cannon and a Hell Cannon—weapons strong enough to wound even top-tier swordsmen if they were caught off guard.
---
The Flower Capital
When Kozuki Oden found out Brook and his crew had already left a few days ago, he went ballistic. Not being able to sail with them made him lose interest in etiquette lessons or reading.
Now he was just wrecking stuff and causing chaos—giving Kozuki Sukiyaki a massive headache.
Daimyo Fugetsu Kamisawa of Nozomi suggested launching an offensive against Kuri while Brook was gone.
But Udon Daimyo Uzuki Maikan vetoed the idea—he was terrified of the Hell Pirates. If they came back for revenge, Wano would be finished.
Sukiyaki could feel the Hell Pirates challenging Wano's isolationist policy. He called for a vote among the four daimyos—two from Shimotsuki abstained, one voted yes, one voted no. The final decision fell to the Shogun.
Sukiyaki hesitated... and in the end, didn't dare make a move. He just hoped the Hell Pirates would return to the open seas and lose interest in Wano.
But his indecisive leadership was already causing the people of Wano to lose faith in the Kozuki Clan. And Haikdou City? It was starting to look like the true, uncrowned ruler of Wano.
(TL: Finally, the Wano arc is done! I know there are a few inconsistencies, especially in parts of Kuri, but I got a bit lazy with the rereading, haha. Feel free to leave a comment if you notice any mistakes, and I'll fix them right away. Appreciate your help!)
----------------
The Golden Island rose from the waters of Wano Country and returned to Doragonzo Island. According to reports from the Economic News Agency branches on Sky Island and Baron Island, the flag of the Hell Pirates was seen flying on the island.
Neither the Diger Pirates nor the Rocks Pirates dared to harass it. A few rookie pirate showed up but, after failing to find Brook, quickly left.
The World Destroyer, Byrnndi World also visited the island. They were curious to see the Overlord Candidate crew daring to stand against the pseudo-overlord pirates.
Later, a pirate crew claiming to be the incarnation of the Fox God came to Doragonzo Island, but they too left empty-handed.
On the Golden Island, the samurai from Wano—who had never set foot outside their country—stared at the sea in awe, unaware of the perilous path Brook was taking them on.
Once they set sail, they'd be stepping into a war among the world's top pirate forces: the Rocks Pirates and the Diger Pirates. One wrong move, and they'd be wiped out.
After a day of rest on Sky Island and Baron Island, the Hell Pirates began collecting intel on the location of the Den Den Mushi belonging to the Siren Pirates. They had currently retreated to the waters around Ten Kings Island to recover.
With the Diger Pirates suffering repeated defeats, morale among their lower-ranking forces began to crack. Previously, they had relied on sheer numbers and strong middle-tier support to challenge the Rocks Pirates—who, despite winning high-level clashes, lacked the forces to hold territory.
But now, the tide had shifted.
The Rocks Pirates were gaining momentum fast. More and more pirate crews were joining them, narrowing the gap in lower-tier strength. Everyone could feel it—Rocks was becoming the true Overlord of this era.
Diger was aging, and this old lion no longer had the bite to stop the young tiger. Willank had returned to the Ice Kingdom to beg the old Ice Demon for help, but was coldly turned away.
---
Ten Kings Island, Madagascar.
Diger Sparrow coughed, his eyes weary as he looked at his downcast subordinates. They still hadn't grown up.
Meanwhile, Rocks had evolved at lightning speed. Diger couldn't even beat him anymore. And with Teach Ewald —the one holding Rocks back—dead, who could possibly stop him in the next assault?
Jack Sparrow, always a wild spirit, now sat drinking alone, ignoring even the beautiful women around him. It was the first time he saw his father look so powerless. The pressure hit him hard, and he couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness.
In the corner sat a beautiful woman in a captain's hat, her expression vacant but her eyes clouded with sorrow. Her name was Teach Angel heir of the Ewald Pirates.
But with a bounty of only 500 million berries, there was no way she could hold the title of Overlord. Her crew had fallen to second-rate status and now served as vassals to the Diger Pirates.
Fair-skinned and striking, she had once caught Jack Sparrow's eye. But now wasn't the time for romance.
"Captain Diger," said Saracha coldly. "If you don't have the confidence to stop Rocks, then I'll join the next battle. But your crew better find someone who can hold off David Kyons. Otherwise, we'll lose all our territory and end up as wandering pirates."
Saracha, with a bounty of 1.55 billion berries, was only slightly behind David Kyons' 1.6 billion. In their last battle, he had teamed up with Willank and even managed to injure Kyons. One-on-one, he could definitely hold his own.
Diger regretted letting David Kyons face Willank alone. That decision led to Kyons falling under Rocks' command and turned Willank into deadweight.
"I hope Willank can convince the Ice Demon to join us," Diger muttered. "Also, we've been trying to contact the Hell Pirates, but they've been missing for half a year. If only we could bring them in to fight Rocks!"
Diger had long taken notice of the Hell Pirates—after all, they were the ones who crushed Teach Ewald's fleet. Now that Ewald was gone, there were no obstacles left to pull them in.
At the mention of the Hell Pirates, Teach Angel's eyes darkened with hatred. They had destroyed her father's pirate crew and sent him spiraling into despair, giving Rocks the perfect opening.
She silently left the meeting, bringing the remnants of Ewald's crew with her and heading straight to Doragonzo Island.
Neither Diger nor Saracha stopped her. To them, she was just a grieving girl whose father had fallen.
Instead, they shifted focus to dragging all the rising Rookie pirates into the chaos. They wouldn't allow any pirate crew in the New World to stay neutral.
"Captain Diger! We just received a message through a Den Den Mushi—from the Hell Pirates! They're requesting to speak directly with you!"
A communications officer ran up, handing over the Den Den Mushi. Diger raised a brow—just as he mentioned the Hell Pirates, they contacted him? Was luck finally on his side?
Saracha leaned in, curious about their intentions. If they could just drag the Hell Pirates into this war, it would ease a lot of the pressure.
"Yo! This is Brook of the Hell Pirates! Is this Captain Diger?"
"You finally showed up, Brook. So? You gonna ally with us and fight Rocks, or wait to be crushed by him?"
"We want all of Ewald's territory—and a massive batch of weapons and blueprint data."
"Hmph. You've got some nerve. How many of the Rocks Pirates' officers can you take on?"
"Nah, nah, we Hell Pirates will handle the Siren Pirates under David Kyons. You guys can deal with Rocks himself!"
Diger and Saracha glanced at each other—it wasn't a bad deal. Ewald's territory was already under the shaky control of Teach Angel. Better to hand it to the Hell Pirates, who had proven strength.
If they could stall David Kyons and replace Ewald's crew, the alliance would hold longer and wouldn't collapse under Rocks' pressure.
"Fine. But can you actually hold off David Kyons? We can't spare anyone to back you up."
"No worries. Leave David Kyons to us. Just make sure none of the Rocks Pirates' big names interfere with our fight."
"Deal. The weapons and blueprints will be sent to Bristol Island—Ewald's former territory—two days from now. One more thing: Ewald's daughter might come looking for you. Keep an eye out—she's quite the beauty."
Diger laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. If the Hell Pirates could go toe-to-toe with the Siren Pirates alone, that was one massive burden off his shoulders.
Meanwhile, Jack sat in silence. When he heard that the girl he once liked was going after the Hell Pirates, he felt a strange emptiness, like something inside him was slipping away for good.
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