Sniper Silva hadn't spilled a word to Brook about Miss Bakkin's schemes. The kid probably still believed in fairy-tale nonsense like love.
If Brook and Shakky had caught wind of it, they'd have roasted him for days. Too young, too naive—thinking someone like Bakkin, who'd probably gut him without a second thought, could be his shot at romance? Pure daydreaming!
...
After hightailing it out, the Hell Pirates didn't have time to worry about the island's residents. Rocks was closing in fast, and only Whitebeard Newgate bothered to warn the locals to flee—a small gesture, barely a drop in the bucket.
Brook, meanwhile, was quick to rally his allies, reaching out to the Vesper Pirates. After all, when trouble hits, you drag your buddies into the mess! Share the danger, shoulder the blame together—but good fortune? Sorry, that's not on the table.
Vesper, hearing that Brook had poked the Rocks Pirates' hornet's nest, went quiet. Did these guys really need no time to grow before taking on the big dogs?
At least the Hell Pirates had taken out one of Rocks' heavy hitters, Sandy. It wasn't much, but it softened the blow of losing the Ice Demon Pirates' support—a massive hit to their alliance.
Vesper had no choice but to gear up for war. Without the Hell Pirates, neither crew could stand alone against the Rocks Pirates. If Vesper bailed and Brook decided to cut and run, zipping away into the sky, Vesper's crew would be left to face Rocks' wrath solo.
Still, Brook's daylight raid on their ally Saracha's territory was a bit shady. Brook's excuse? Island was getting butchered, and Saracha was MIA!
"We can't let the Rocks Pirates run wild, pillaging whatever they want!" Brook declared. "The Hell Pirates stepped up to protect Saracha's turf. Once we snatch Wilank's territory back, we'll hand it over to Saracha as compensation!"
Vesper couldn't help but smirk at the gall. Classic Brook—settling old scores from that island-dividing fiasco. Vesper even considered tossing in a few islands Brook had dodged in their last deal over Shirokiri, just to keep things square.
This guy held grudges like nobody's business!
...
Vesper was also trying to track down Saracha, who'd vanished like a ghost. Where the hell was he hiding?
On the Island, panicked residents scrambled onto every boat they could find, fleeing for their lives. Those without ships hid in homes, forests, or mountains, praying to escape the coming storm.
When Rocks arrived with Ochoku and a crew of elite pirates, he hadn't even set foot on the island before a bad feeling hit him. No battle cries, no resistance—had they already lost?
As they entered the town, the sight of bodies strewn across the streets made even the cold-blooded Rocks grimace. Had the pirates he'd recruited over the past few months been wiped out already?
His Conqueror's Haki erupted, a tidal wave of raw power. Surviving Rocks Pirates officers and crew, sensing their captain's unmistakable aura, emerged cautiously from the forests.
Miss Bakkin, ever the schemer, erased the bullet-scratched messages she'd left behind. To sell her story, she slashed her arms and legs with a knife and, gritting her teeth, stabbed herself in the gut.
Staggering back to town, weak and bloodied, she put on an Oscar-worthy performance for Rocks, claiming she'd fought heroically to reclaim the flagship.
Though some officers, like Skal, had their doubts, no one dared call her out. Rocks was teetering on the edge of a volcanic rage—shifting blame now would mean facing his merciless punishment.
...
"You didn't stick to the plan and meet up with me, and now we've got this massive loss! I'm disappointed, and the fact you couldn't hold out for even this long pisses me off even more!"
Rocks glared at Skal and his veteran officers, his voice dripping with frustration. The Hell Pirates were just a rookie crew—sure, they had a big name, but they weren't that strong, were they?
Most of them were Devil Fruit users, so their Haki couldn't possibly match his seasoned crew's.
"Captain Rocks, Brook's Devil Fruit is freaky as hell. Even my Armament Haki couldn't stop him. My hand's still throbbing—his attacks hit straight at your soul!"
Skal tried to explain Brook's eerie strength, but Rocks brushed it off. Devil Fruit powers? He could handle those. It was only top-tier Haki masters he respected.
The only thing that gave him pause was the Hell Pirates' roster of fighters wielding Conqueror's Haki Coiling—a rare and dangerous skill.
"Captain, Brook didn't go after Skal first. He zeroed in on Kurozumi Higurashi, who was posing as you," Miss Bakkin chimed in, seizing her chance to downplay her screw-up. "Brook knew Higurashi was a fake but still went for her. There's gotta be a reason."
If Rocks himself had been there, Brook wouldn't have dared. And if he knew it was a fake, why bother? Kidnapping Higurashi and her brother Kurozumi Semimaru meant Brook was after something specific.
"You're saying Brook targeted Higurashi from the start? Is he after her Clone Fruit? Or maybe Semimaru's Barrier-Barrier Fruit? This isn't adding up!"
Rocks had never clashed directly with the Hell Pirates. Why would Brook suddenly provoke them? Was it for territory? Devil Fruit powers? Sandy, Higurashi, and Semimaru were all ability users—what was Brook's game?
No time for overthinking. Brook had crossed them, cost them a top officer, and Rocks wasn't about to swallow that insult.
He rallied every pirate on the island and fired off calls via Den Den Mushi to Hachinosu, summoning crews from every territory. A full-scale pirate fleet was assembling for the next round of their bid for supremacy.
...
Miss Bakkin, watching Rocks' plans unfold, wanted to scream. The Hell Pirates' lineup, combined with Vesper's officers, was a nightmare. Besides Rocks himself, who could take them? The Hell Pirates could probably pin down every officer in Rocks' crew. Did Rocks really think he could solo the Vesper Pirates on top of that?
But after her recent blunder, Bakkin didn't have the guts to speak up. Let Rocks charge in and crash—maybe he'd learn the hard way.
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg