At first, the Navy Headquarters only intended to target the Rocks Pirates. Rocks' arrogance had become unbearable, and the Government wished to strike him down to restore their prestige. But no one expected Brook to interfere—nor to drag half the New World's great pirates into the fray.
The seas buzzed with disbelief. Was this still the New World, where every pirate fought only for himself?
Many asked the same question: Why would Brook, captain of the Hell Pirates, help Rocks? If the Navy crushed Rocks, Brook would rise unchallenged as the sole overlord. The fall of the Rocks Pirates would clear the path for Brook's Hell Pirates to dominate the era.
Yet Brook thought far beyond immediate advantage. If not for his knowledge of Im and the Celestial Dragons' dreaded "national treasure," he might have let Rocks be crushed. But Brook, a man who had traveled through time and space, had a long vision. He knew he needed Rocks alive—for now.
So long as Rocks drew the attention of the Navy and the World Government, the Hell Pirates could quietly strengthen. Brook understood a truth many overlooked: the foundation of the World Government stretched back eight centuries. No pirate crew, however fierce, could match that legacy in mere years.
He remembered well the fate of Joy Boy. Eight hundred years ago, even with Poseidon, King of the Sea, and Pluto, Joy Boy had been defeated by the twenty kings. If a Sun God had fallen, how could Brook afford arrogance?
Poseidon would not reincarnate for more than thirty years—time Brook did not have. He needed power now. One Pluto was not enough. Vegapunk would need to push beyond imagination: SSG Seraphs, Pacifistas, Devil Fruit weapons, artificial fruits—everything the mind of a genius could forge. Brook dreamed of fleets of cloned Pluto battleships, enough to rival the very Government's technology.
Only by narrowing the foundation gap could he hope to challenge Im's throne. Otherwise, he would meet the same tragic end as Joy Boy.
At Navy Headquarters, candidate Fleet Admiral Kong buried his head in his hands. The operation had begun as a show of strength—to restore faith in the Navy, to remind the world of its power. Instead, Brook and Rocks had united the seas against them.
"What do we do now?!" Kong's voice was raw.
Unless the World Government itself dispatched its highest champions, the Navy could not hope to crush a united New World. But would the Five Elders move? Would the last surviving Knights of God be sent?
The answer was grim: unlikely.
The Elders only acted when no other option remained. And the Celestial Dragons' last champions would not march lightly.
There was one resource left: the Cipher Pol. From CP0 down to CP9, agents could be deployed in force. Though not a navy in themselves, they could strike in shadows, sow chaos, and bleed the pirates.
Kukulkan, the current Marshal, even considered demanding use of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure again. But the answer that came from above chilled him: the weapon was under repair.
"Even that?" he muttered. "Even the gods' own weapon beaten back by Brook?"
In truth, the national treasure was intact. Im himself was reworking its defenses. Brook's soul strike had revealed a weakness no one had ever foreseen—the invincible barrier could not stop the intangible. Now Im scoured his private vaults, seeking a soul-type Devil Fruit to patch the flaw. Until then, the weapon would not fly again.
For Im, centuries made such delays trivial. For Brook and Rocks, weeks could decide everything.
At last, Admiral Kukulkan made his move. He left Chief of Staff Wilmark to guard headquarters while he himself sailed with the CP0 commander and three full CP0 teams. Nine elite agents—each stronger than a vice admiral, some rivaling admiral candidates. The commander himself wielded admiral-level power.
The world had not seen such a deployment in eight hundred years. To many, it felt like a world war was about to begin.
Kings of allied nations fretted. If admirals fell again, if candidates were slain, the Navy's shield would crumble. Without it, the seas would devour their kingdoms.
In the New World, the Chaotic Sea became a staging ground. Pirate groups from across the region gathered, drawn by greed, fear, and ambition.
For many, this was opportunity. If they fought and survived, they would sail free for two years, unchallenged by Brook or Rocks. That alone was worth risking everything.
Guild pirates answered eagerly. The Pirate Guild posted bounties of staggering size for captured Navy officers, and the chance to plunder was irresistible. Some even sought a foothold in Rocks' territories, long sealed to outsiders by his iron grip.
Yet the Chaotic Sea was not without its schemers. Some captains with awakened Conqueror's Haki dreamed of stealing from the overlords themselves—Brook's Eighteen Islands of Hell or Rocks' Beehive stronghold. Few dared act. They knew well: one reckless move meant certain death.
Still, the seas boiled with ambition.
At the Navy's G1 branch, the war council assembled. The air was heavy with tension.
Sengoku, young but already shrewd, broke the silence. "Fleet Admiral, these pirates may look united, but they are not. They're fractured, each with their own schemes. No pirate truly fights to the death for another. If we play this well, their alliance will collapse."
He tapped the map, eyes sharp. "We must repeat, again and again, that our target is Rocks—not the New World as a whole. That way, pirates outside his banner will hesitate. Some will hang back, pretending to fight, waiting for us to bleed the Rocks Pirates before scavenging."
His voice lowered. "But if we falter, even once—if we show weakness—then the alliance will turn rabid. They'll become bloodthirsty hounds, and they will drag us down with them. We must strike hard in the first battle."
A murmur ran through the hall. Some nodded grimly. Others clenched their fists.
Sengoku's eyes glinted with hidden resolve. "And perhaps… we can drive a wedge between Brook and Rocks. Plant doubt. Sow conflict. Turn them against each other. If we succeed, the alliance will crumble before the first shot is fired."
------------
Sengoku had always been different. Among the Navy's younger generation, he wasn't just respected for his discipline or combat strength—his mythical Zoan, the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha, sharpened his wisdom as much as his body. With golden radiance, calm judgment, and piercing insight, he became known as the "Golden Buddha," the Navy's wise officer.
Now, as a candidate for admiral, Sengoku had earned another title that would follow him for life: Buddha's Sengoku. And this time, it was his wisdom that the Navy needed most.
"This time," Sengoku began, voice steady, "Commander Swei and I have gathered reports from the Celestial Dragons. Several of their corpses remain missing, their personal warships vanished. Entire vaults of treasure and countless Devil Fruits are unaccounted for."
The room stirred. Admirals and vice admirals leaned forward as Sengoku continued.
"We can publish this information. Let the great pirates of the New World see how much profit the two overlords gained in God Valley. Show them the sheer weight of treasure Brook and Rocks might have stolen. Greed will do the rest. Pirates cannot resist the scent of fortune. Their alliance will crumble under its own envy."
Kukulkan, seated at the head of the table, tapped the desk with one clawed finger. His serpent-like eyes narrowed. "So you believe… these losses weren't all Rocks' doing?"
Sengoku nodded. "According to the few Celestial Dragons who escaped, they were knocked unconscious, their wealth stolen before Rocks even struck. A mysterious third hand may have intercepted everything. Tell me, Fleet Admiral … does that sound like Rocks to you?"
Kukulkan's gaze sharpened. He thought back to God Valley—Rocks screaming at Roger and Brook, demanding the Devil Fruits, striking not like a man triumphant, but furious, desperate.
"No wonder…" Garp muttered suddenly, pounding a fist into his palm. "At the time, I thought it strange. Rocks wasn't celebrating. He was attacking Roger with rage, accusing Brook at every turn. Could it be that Rocks never actually got the Devil Fruits?"
The chamber erupted with gasps.
"Impossible!"
"Someone robbed the Celestial Dragons' vaults right under two overlord crews?"
"Who would dare?"
"Was it Roger?" Garp asked, though doubt clouded his tone. He knew Roger well enough—sneaking and lying weren't Rogers's way.
"No," Sengoku said firmly. "Think. Roger clashed head-on with Rocks. But Brook…" His eyes glinted behind his glasses. "Brook was too calm. A man who bled to conquer God Valley would never walk away empty-handed without fury. Yet Brook showed none. He already had what he wanted."
Kukulkan's expression hardened. "You're suggesting Brook ate the Celestial Dragons' treasures himself?"
The table fell silent, then burst into uproar.
"What?!"
"Rocks was tricked by Brook?"
"Then the Hell Pirates will rise unchecked!"
"If that's true, their power will explode—monsters with fruits beyond imagination!"
The voices clashed like waves against rock. And beneath their outrage festered bitterness.
"Damn those Celestial Dragons," one vice admiral muttered bitterly. "Mountains of fruits, locked away while we die for them."
Another spat, "Why not feed them to us? Why should we bleed for nobles who gift power to pirates instead?"
Murmurs spread, whispers of resentment too dangerous to voice aloud. One admiral even whispered hoarsely, "I've heard the rumors—that killing a Celestial Dragon awakens Conqueror's Haki. They give pirates both power and kingship. My justice…" He shook his head. "Even my justice wavers. For a moment, I almost wish I were a pirate."
"ENOUGH!"
Kukulkan's fist struck the table like a thunderclap. The oak cracked, silence slamming down on the room. His serpent's gaze swept over the shaken commanders. Shame silenced them, though the frustration in their hearts remained heavy as stone.
"Sengoku," Kukulkan growled. "Continue."
Sengoku bowed his head slightly. "As you command. Whether Brook truly took the fruits or not, perception is enough. Let the world believe it. Pin every loss of the Celestial Dragons on Brook. Let Rocks believe it. Let the Pirate Alliance believe it. Greed and suspicion will do what blades cannot."
He straightened, voice steady and sharp. "If the Hell Pirates withdraw from battle, the Rocks Pirates will be left exposed. Their alliance collapses. We strike them first, shatter their pride. Then, with the Hell Pirates isolated, we annihilate them as well."
A cruel light entered Kukulkan's eyes. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "Very good. Brook would never expect that the alliance he built will become the very weapon that destroys him."
His voice dropped into a hiss. "Let the Pirates of the New World fight among themselves. Let Rocks and Brook rip each other apart. We will simply clean the battlefield."
The Navy's propaganda machine roared to life. Numbers were twisted, treasures exaggerated.
"Dozens of mythical beasts lost."
"Hundreds of billions in berries stolen."
"Tens of thousands of kilograms of gold vanished."
The reports piled sin upon sin at Brook's feet.
White doves, trained by the Peace Dove News Agency, scattered into the skies like a storm. They flew across the seas, even into the chaotic waters where pirate flags blackened the horizon.
Many doves were shot down mid-flight, roasted for meals or plucked for feathers. But enough survived. Enough reached taverns, coves, and decks of ships. Their cargo of newspapers landed in greedy hands.
And the words inside struck like cannon fire.
Even pirates of the Guild, hardened by blood and coin, felt their envy boil.
"Could it be true? Did Brook hoard everything?"
"All those Devil Fruits, and nothing for us?"
"Overlord or not, if Brook has them all, he's a target."
On Beehive Island, Rocks read the paper. The air itself seemed to split as his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward. Pirates collapsed in droves. His teeth ground together until blood flecked his lips.
"BROOK!!!"
His roar shook the fortress. His aura rolled like an earthquake, walls trembling, torches snuffing out.
"No wonder. No wonder the vaults were empty so quickly. No wonder the fruits vanished with no trace. Brook! That treacherous bastard stole it all from under me!"
His eyes gleamed red with fury. In that instant, Rocks swore he would storm Doragonzo Island, rip Brook apart bone by bone, and devour his treacherous soul.
High above the clouds, on Ballon Sky Island, Brook sat in silence, paper spread across his bony knees. His fingers clenched tighter and tighter, jaw clicking shut until sparks flickered between his teeth.
He had underestimated them. The Navy's brute force was expected—but not this. Not their cunning.
They couldn't erase the truth, so they twisted it. They couldn't kill him, so they poisoned him with envy.
"The Celestial Dragons themselves know what they lost," Brook murmured, hollow laugh echoing. "Even if I denied it, they would not forget."
He rose, cloak swirling, his soul-flames burning brighter.
"Yohoho… so this is your move, Navy. To pit the world against me."
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