Aboard the golden ship, Hiruba confirmed the Rocks Pirates had left the Hell Pirates' territory and were now heading toward Saracha's territory. Wasting no time, they steered the ship straight for Golden Island!
They had also clearly seen the Diger Pirates retreat, which meant the immediate crisis was over. With the pressure gone, the ship's speed surged forward.
"Ugh, what kind of garbage Devil Fruits are these?!"
Shakky was flipping through the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, frantically searching for information on the three Devil Fruits she had swindled from the Diger Pirates.
"Zoan-type: Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Gallic Black Chicken… Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Basin Chicken… and Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Coldstick Fish?"
Brook's already pale face turned ghost-white. "Are you kidding me? Neither of these chickens can even fly?!"
"And this Coldstick Fish—what the hell is that? It can't swim, it's got stumpy fins, short everything—what's it gonna do, transform into a stick and whack people?!"
"Forget it, forget it. I'll just toss them to Vegapunk for experiments," Brook growled, visibly irritated.
The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.
"Damn you, Diger. I was already giving you a discount, and you repay me with these worthless fruits? You sold Jack and Xiaofeng—hell, those two are worth more than this garbage!"
He clenched his fists in frustration. "I swear, I'll take revenge or I'm cursed!"
"Hey, Hiruba—did you see where Rocks went? Did he kill Saracha and Willank?" Brook called out to Hiruba stationed at the bow, who was supposed to be watching the horizon.
But instead of answering, Hiruba licked his lips and wiped a nosebleed in a pervy daze.
Brook's expression darkened. You're supposed to be tracking Rocks—not peeking at him like some sick fanboy!
SMACK!
Brook slapped him hard across the face.
He sighed, torn. "I gave you the Glare-Glare Fruit to gather intel, not be a damn voyeur. You weren't like this before! A good kid ruined!"
The Glare-Glare Fruit allowed Hiruba to see into people's thoughts. Brook had strictly forbidden him from using it on crew members. Whenever he used the fruit, his eyes would glow with a faint purple shimmer. The moment he was caught peeking at someone on the ship? Instant beating.
So far, he had seen into Tiger and Kaido's minds—and got punched for it both times. Now, he was sneakily turning his gaze outward, peeking at targets in the distance under the excuse of "scouting."
"You were supposed to track Rocks! Have you at least checked Devil's Horn Island and Ice Island yet?" Brook growled, his hands gathering icy energy. "If you don't start acting right, I'll freeze your soul!"
Hiruba panicked. "C-Captain Brook! I-I'll look right now! Don't hit me again! If I go down, there's no one to read intel!!"
He scrambled to work, scanning toward Devil Horn Island.
"Captain Brook! It's bad! Devil Horn Island is a graveyard—just bodies everywhere. No sign of Rocks or his crew!"
He quickly shifted his gaze toward Ice Island. At first, it seemed deserted—until a pirate ship came sailing in fast. The man at the bow was unmistakable—Rocks, with his wicked grin.
"Captain Brook! I see Rocks—he's landing on Ice Island! Willank is still there!!"
Hiruba's heart dropped. If he had checked earlier, he could've warned Willank to flee. But now? Rocks was already landing. Could Willank even escape?
Brook glared at him but quickly acted. He didn't have Willank's Den Den Mushi number, so he called Diger instead. He relayed the situation: the massacre at Devil Horn Island, Rocks landing on Ice Island, and the probable danger to Willank.
Whatever happened next… it was out of Brook's hands.
But this did spark a realization.
If both the Butcher Pirates and the Ice Demon Pirates fall… wouldn't their territories be up for grabs?
Without hesitation, Brook called Redfield and Linlin. "Get back to Golden Island, fast. We're gonna start claiming territory. Rocks can't eat all the spoils—we're getting our share!"
"Be real pirates—capitalize on chaos! Rob islands, capture pirates, take everything!"
"Hell yeah!" Golden Lion Shiki yelled, fired up. "The war's begun—it's our time to rise!"
They pushed the golden ship at top speed toward the Golden Island . Once there, Golden Lion quickly flew the island back to Sky Island, securing the Golden Island in a safe zone.
Meanwhile, Brook sent out the call—every pirate under his flag in the Bristol Sea was to gather. It was time to claim land.
Whether Saracha was dead or alive didn't matter. His territory bordered Brook's—and that made it fair game.
---
On Ice Island, the battlefield was chaos.
The giants—usually towering titans of power—were tossed around like toys by ants. They couldn't resist at all.
Wang Zhi's sword energy stretched over a hundred meters. With a few slashes, giants dropped like flies.
Silver Axe and John each cut down giants on their own. As for Rocks—he didn't give Willank a chance to beg. He just beat the crap out of him.
Sensing doom, the Elbaf Giants fled, leaping into the sea. Only the Ice Giants held their ground, rushing in a desperate bid to rescue their captain.
"Willank, you surrendering or what?" Rocks asked, more amused than angry.
He still hoped to recruit these war machines. But when he saw the Elbaf Giants flee so quickly, even he blinked in surprise.
Seriously? Your men bailed that fast?
Maybe the recent battles had exposed Willank's weakness. Maybe they saw him as a loser not worth dying for.
But even if Rocks couldn't recruit them, scattering them was good enough. That way, they wouldn't be trouble later.
"I surrender! I surrender, alright?!" Willank barked, furious as he watched his crew abandon him.
"Damn traitors!"
-------------------------
After the fierce battle, the Elbaf giants took the opportunity to withdraw from the Ice Demon Pirates and fled back to the Land of Giants.
In truth, these giants had received news from Elbaf just a few days prior: the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Brogy and Dorry, had returned and were gathering their crew once again.
Upon hearing that their race's leaders and the original pirate captains had returned, the Elbaf giants serving under the Ice Demon Pirates had no interest in staying. They didn't want to be cannon fodder in a war for supremacy—especially not under a fading banner.
After years of bloody losses in turf wars, and with Rocks now bearing down on them like a storm, and their captain Willank already badly beaten, they made a decisive call:
Retreat.
Just like that, the once-mighty Ice Demon Pirates—an overlord crew—collapsed.
Rocks, who had already dealt with the Siren Pirates led by David Kyons, had no intention of giving Willank the same mercy. He refused Willank's plea to retain his flag and become a subsidiary crew.
There were only two options:
Disband the Ice Demon Pirates and become part of the Rocks Pirates' giant division—or die here.
Willank's eyes widened in fury. Was this real? Would the Ice Demon Pirates, a crew passed down for over a hundred years, really end like this… under his command?
Though known for his cunning and fear of death, Willank still held onto the pride of an ice giant. He couldn't bear the shame of destroying his crew's legacy. The same went for the remaining eighteen ice giants—each towering over forty meters—who now glared at Rocks in silent defiance.
The Ice Demon Pirates were their pride and glory. Even though they had declined, they believed in the hidden Ice and Snow Kingdom, and in the reclusive old Ice Demon who once led them. They believed a new leader would eventually rise to carry the flag again.
Weapons in hand, the giants stood firm, waiting for Willank's decision. If he chose to fight, they would follow him to the death. But if he chose to disband the crew… they would never acknowledge him as captain again.
Just as tension reached its peak—
"Wait! Captain Rocks, give me ten minutes. Let me go talk to my people," Willank said hurriedly, his voice filled with desperation and cowardice.
Rocks narrowed his eyes but gave a curt nod.
Willank turned and walked back to the giants, then suddenly began speaking in a language even Rocks didn't recognize. It sounded like a unique dialect—perhaps the ice giants had their own tongue? Still, the situation made Rocks uneasy.
Surprisingly, the giants who had been bristling with rage moments ago began to lower their weapons one by one. Some even looked heartbroken. A few younger ones seemed close to tears.
Was Willank really such a smooth talker? Even Rocks found himself curious about what had just been said in that strange tongue.
Minutes later, Willank returned with a smile that screamed betrayal.
"Captain Rocks, it's done. They won't resist anymore," he said with a groveling tone. "Come, I'll take you to our treasure room."
Though Rocks despised cowards, he liked flattery more. If someone was willing to lick his boots, he'd tolerate them—for now.
Hearing the word "treasure," John immediately followed with greedy excitement. Silver Axe, simple but loyal, followed right behind. Only Wang Zhi hesitated, his swordsman's instincts flaring.
Something felt off.
Still, with Willank around, it didn't seem like anything major would go wrong. Even so, Wang Zhi remained behind with several elite fighters from the Rocks Pirates to keep an eye on the ice giants.
As Willank led Rocks into the base, the ice giants turned and began walking toward their massive pirate ship.
"Hey! Stop! What are you doing?" Wang Zhi barked, swinging his sword to unleash a massive arc of sword energy, blocking their path.
The giants paused. The eldest among them turned around, stepped forward, and replied in a deep, gravelly voice:
"We're following Captain Willank's orders—to retrieve treasures and wine for a banquet. It's a celebration."
Wang Zhi frowned, unconvinced. "Then leave half of it. There's no reason to move everything."
He narrowed his eyes. Even though the ice giant in front of him looked honest and spoke respectfully, Wang Zhi couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
He heard the other giants' footsteps begin to quicken—rushing toward the ship.
His eyes widened.
They're trying to escape!
"You think you can run? What about Willank? What about your honor?!" Wang Zhi roared, unsheathing his blade and slashing forward with deadly force.
Boom!
A massive wave of sword energy blasted through the air. The ice giant immediately retaliated, swinging his giant iron sword with fury.
"Hahaha! The Ice Demon Pirates will never disband! We are eternal!"
He charged at Wang Zhi, determined to buy time for his comrades to escape—even if it meant dying.
---
Meanwhile, inside the treasure room—
Rocks' expression darkened. He'd heard the clash of steel outside.
His gaze slowly turned to Willank, who still wore his fake, sycophantic smile.
"You planned this," Rocks muttered, his voice cold and sharp.
For once, Willank dropped the act. His eyes grew firm, his face serious. He stood tall.
"Why?" Rocks growled, the air around him rippling with Conqueror's Haki. Even John, who had been stuffing bags with berries and treasure, froze in fear.
Willank let out a heavy breath and spoke with raw emotion:
"Why? Because even if I'm a coward… I won't let the Ice Demon Pirates die in my hands. I won't be the traitor who disbanded a legacy passed down for centuries. I won't be remembered as the man who destroyed the pride of the ice giants!"
---
END OF CHAPTER
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