The objective of Admiral Kukulkan's fleet was clear: stall the Hell Pirates long enough for the main naval force to crush the Rocks Pirates.
"Old man! Do you really think you can stop us with just this handful of people?" Brook's eyes gleamed with killing intent. For a Marine Fleet Admiral to come with an admiral-level Knight of God and a CP0 commander—it was nowhere near enough to handle the full might of the Hell Pirates' main force.
Brook himself, alongside the Four Hell Fighters, could hold back the strongest forces the Navy had to offer. The nine CP0 agents? He had more than enough elites to deal with them.
On his side stood the Ewald Pirates' Teach Angel and Uncle Bull, both with bounties exceeding 500 million. There was also the Byrnndi World, and Woonan, the Golden Pirate, along with Chinjao of the Happo Navy—a conqueror's haki user who had once crossed blades with Iron Fist Garp.
The Hell Pirates' senior officers were equally terrifying: Hiruba with a 600 million bounty, Crocus, the poison master Dia, hammerhead shark Scaredo, great swordsman Ashura Doji, Tom, and Stussy. Not to mention the Four Fallen Angels, Abefu, and the monstrous newcomer—Kaido of Beasts.
This lineup, Brook thought, was stronger even than the Rocks Pirates.
"Who gave you the courage to face the Hell Pirates with only three admiral-level forces?" Brook sneered. He instantly understood the imbalance between their sides. If not for his desire to use the chaos to weed out rival pirates, he would have cut Kukulkan down without hesitation.
But the Fleet Admiral still stood tall.
"What nonsense, brat!" Kukulkan roared, his Quetzalcoatl form unfurling with divine majesty. He knew head-on, his side would be outmatched—but natural disasters could tip any battle.
Beside him, Gabriel, wielder of the Weather Fruit, combined his powers with Kukulkan's Quetzalcoatl storms. The skies darkened, winds howled, and torrents of rain lashed down as lightning split the heavens. The storm surged toward the Hell Pirates' flying fleet, a rolling wall of destruction.
Brook's grin widened. "You think you're the only ones who can command natural disasters?"
At his command, his fighters unleashed their own powers. Redfield seized control of lightning with his will, while Linlin's soul-infused thundercloud Zeus charged into the storm, clashing with Gabriel's creations. The Kirin Lion twisted the winds with his Wind Control Fruit, redirecting gusts to counter Quetzalcoatl's gales.
Brook himself drew the Seven Star Demon Sword and dove straight for Kukulkan's massive serpent body. Golden Lion Shiki soared alongside him, blades flashing as he aimed for Gabriel. Whitebeard, wearing wind-jet boots, intercepted the CP0 commander Eagle to clear Shiki's path.
The storm crackled with chaos as gods and monsters collided atop the Quetzalcoatl.
Kukulkan found himself increasingly pressed. He had hoped to lure the Hell Pirates onto an island battlefield, but Brook had deliberately chosen the open sea to maximize his flying fleet's advantage.
"Yohoho! I gave you the chance to focus on those pirates below, and instead you dared to attack us! You think your storms can't be broken?" Brook taunted, laughing as he pressed the attack.
Kukulkan cursed inwardly. His plan had been to use Gabriel's Weather Fruit alongside his own powers to cripple the flying fleet. With so few high-level troops, their mission had never been to win outright—it was to harass and delay. But he had underestimated Brook yet again. Even the unsolvable disaster of nature was being countered.
"Brook, you really are the most troublesome pirate in this world!" Kukulkan bellowed.
At his signal, Gabriel, Eagle, and the others clung tight as Quetzalcoatl shot skyward, soaring out of reach of the Hell Pirates' blades. Whitebeard clicked his tongue and pulled back to the fleet, while Brook, balanced atop his cloud Hera, raised a hand to stop Shiki from chasing.
"Brook! If you dare, come fight me here!" Kukulkan's voice thundered as another cyclone formed. Under Gabriel's guidance, the storm gathered once again and hurtled down toward the fleet.
Brook narrowed his eyes. He understood Kukulkan's strategy perfectly—delay, harass, and bleed the Hell Pirates of time and resources. The Quetzalcoatl's resilience, its flying speed, and its storm conjuring made it the perfect stalling weapon.
"This flying serpent really is troublesome," Brook muttered. His somersault cloud Hera wasn't fast enough to match Kukulkan's mythical form. If only Kaido had already mastered the Azure Dragon Fruit, Brook could have sent him to hunt the Fleet Admiral down.
"Kaido! Watch closely. This is the kind of power you'll need to master. Become the king of the skies!" Brook barked.
"I understand, Brother Brook! I'll become a dragon greater than that snake!" Kaido roared back, though his mastery was still incomplete.
Above, Kukulkan and Gabriel continued to whip storms across the sea, forcing the Hell Pirates into constant defense. They were pinned, tied down in this cursed stretch of ocean.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the New World, the Navy's main force under Candidate Fleet Admiral Kong had already engaged the Rocks Pirates. The clash was immediate and brutal—there was no room for posturing, only blood and steel.
Iron Fist Garp seized his target, the warrior monk Scorpion Dragon, determined to crush the pirate who now wielded Admiral Hoss unicorn fruit. With Sengoku and Zephyr clashing beside him, the war to decide the fate of the seas was fully underway.
-------------
The large pirate crews that had answered Brook's call dared not interfere in the clash between the two overlord pirate groups and the Navy's main force. Instead, they turned their greed elsewhere, raiding the defense lines of the World Government's member states and plundering treasure without restraint.
On the battlefield, Vice Admiral Garp, ignoring orders, seized the right to fight the Rocks Pirates' first officer—the warrior monk Scorpion Dragon. The opponent was supposed to be Buddha Sengoku's target, but Garp had never cared about formalities. Sengoku, his brother-in-arms, didn't complain; instead, he turned his focus on Monkey King Wizz, only to find himself simultaneously assailed by Silver Axe Ex.
Elsewhere, Zephyr clashed with Wang Zhi. Black Arm Zephyr's unyielding belief in justice caused his armament haki to blaze like steel, pressing Wang Zhi back. Yet Wang Zhi's supreme blade, the Code of the Emperor, compensated for his lack of haki mastery, allowing him to endure in a duel that could last days.
Across the battlefield, other vice admirals stormed into battle against Captain John, the giantess Jennifer, and affiliated captains like the Karns brothers and Eric Dane.
The World Government's fury was absolute. Candidate Fleet Admiral Kong and two Knights of God combined their strength against Rocks himself. Both Kong and Minaro were physical monsters, while Raphael's confining ability forced Rocks into openings again and again. Even with his overwhelming haki and the Dark-Dark Fruit, the constant restraints drained his energy and stoked his fury.
The Navy's superiority in numbers showed its effect. Vice admirals and Rear Admirals swarmed the field, their sheer volume overwhelming even Rocks' legendary crew. To launch this campaign, the Government had drawn in branch admirals from across the seas, creating a war machine unlike anything seen before.
Had a Revolutionary Army existed in this age, they could have struck the Four Seas while the Navy was tied up here—but that era had not yet come. Only later, after Roger's Great Pirate Era began, would the world see such a tide of chaos.
For now, the Navy's grip remained strong.
Rocks had not expected this overwhelming force. Worse, the pirate crews that had flocked to his banner were more concerned with exploiting the war than sharing his burden. His split with Brook had cost him dearly. If he had swallowed his pride, taken Brook's betrayal in silence, and focused on crushing the Navy first, perhaps things would be different.
But pride ruled Rocks. Now, bereft of unity and Devil Fruits, his pirate empire teetered on the edge of destruction. Treachery loomed as well—should Rocks fall, allies like Captain John and Miss Bakin would surely abandon him, fleeing with mountains of treasure.
The battlefield trembled with cannon fire, haki, and the clash of steel.
"Scorpion Dragon! Prepare to die!"
Garp's fists gleamed pitch black, armament haki overflowing in streams that flowed across his body. His mastery dwarfed even the famed Ryuo of Wano. His iron fists had terrified even Roger and Whitebeard, and now they struck like judgment itself.
The warrior monk only laughed. "Ahahaha! Look, Garp! Behold the power of your beloved Admiral Hoss!"
From his horn burst waves of pale white energy, a pale imitation of the holy light once wielded by Admiral Hoss.
"The likes of you don't deserve that power!" Garp's voice thundered. He shattered the wave with one blow, his fist tearing through light and air alike as he charged. His punch crashed into Scorpion Dragon, sending him hurtling into the earth, the island shuddering beneath the impact.
The monk roared, blood trailing from his mouth as he dragged himself from the crater. His bruised face bore the imprint of Garp's fist, muscles twitching violently. White light surged from his body, healing his wounds in moments.
"Hah! This mythical beast fruit is handy, I'll admit! Even your fists can't keep me down forever!" he mocked. But inside, his thoughts darkened. Why does this Vice Admiral hit harder than Sengoku himself? His fists feel like iron mountains.
"I'll beat you into the ground until nothing's left!"
Garp vanished. His Shave was so fast it seemed like teleportation, even Scorpion Dragon's haki failed to track him. A fist slammed into his gut before he could react, launching him skyward.
"This… this is insane! How can a Vice Admiral be this strong?!" Scorpion Dragon gasped, flapping his wings desperately. He tried to retreat, but again Garp appeared before him, fist cocked.
Boom!
The Rocks Pirates' first officer slammed into the ground once more. The earth split under the impact, dust and debris exploding upward.
What's happening? Scorpion Dragon's mind reeled. Since when was Garp this strong? Before, I fought Sengoku evenly… but against him, I'm being beaten like a rookie! Could it be… has my fruit weakened me instead of strengthening me?
He snarled and forced himself up again, wings trembling. "Enough! I'll kill you here!"
His horn turned obsidian, radiating dense haki. He hurled himself forward like a living spear, cutting through the air with unstoppable force. The shockwaves spread in concentric rings, each one a warning of deadly speed.
Head-on, unavoidable.
Garp's grin widened, eyes blazing. "Head-to-head? That's exactly what I wanted!"
His body ignited with haki, aura surging so intensely the ground cracked beneath him. His right fist shone like a black star, polished and hard enough to gleam with a metallic luster. He roared and swung it forward, colliding with the charging horn.
Boom!
Sparks flew as haki met haki, the horn and fist grinding against each other in a storm of light and force. Airwaves blasted outward in waves, tearing apart the battlefield.
The clash of the Iron Fist and the Scorpion Dragon marked the start of a struggle that would shake the New World itself.
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