Salem was a cunning warlord who always put profit first, and he had a daughter waiting for him to protect. Yet here he was, his face twisted with indecision, sticking by his old rival turned ally.
"Let's get outta here together!"
Salem had no desire to clash with the Hell Pirates aboard their Golden Ark. There was no chance of winning—not against their four top fighters, let alone Brook, whose soul-slicing blade could cut through anything!
"But I need to know if Amber's alive or not. It's the old man's final order!"
Shirokiri's voice was grim as he recalled Vesper's last words, a dying wish for the family's heir to be born and raised safely.
"Are you daft? As long as you're alive, you can still have kids! What, you think you're sterile or something? If we go after her now, we're just asking to get caught! Then your family line's really done for!"
Salem snapped, his frustration boiling over. Shirokiri had a year to "plant the seeds" for the next generation—his lineage wasn't doomed yet. With a bit of effort, he could still secure the family's future.
If Shirokiri got nabbed by Brook, the family's survival would depend entirely on Brook's mercy.
"But…"
"No buts! We're out of time—move, or we're done for! You can dig up Amber's status later!"
Salem barked orders to veer left. Straight ahead was Brook, behind them loomed Rocks, to the right lay the second half of the New World—home to the Ice Demon Pirates' old turf or even the Snow Kingdom, where the old Ice Demon might be hiding. But Salem's daughter, Karina, was taking refuge in the first half of the New World, so that's where he was headed to scoop up his precious girl.
The first half was safer, closer to the World Government's allied nations. Brook and Rocks' influence shouldn't have reached that far yet—not when both were busy consolidating their own territories, a task that'd keep them tied up for a while!
Under the lead of Vesper's flagship Shirokiri's personal ship, and Salem's ship swiftly turned left, dodging a direct confrontation with Brook.
Speaking of the Salem's ship, it was originally meant for Shirokiri, the fastest pirate ship in standard waters. But Shirokiri's reckless antics got it confiscated by Vesper, who gifted it to his steward, Salem. That was one of the many reasons these two never saw eye to eye.
Salem had spent years cleaning up Shirokiri's messes, which didn't exactly endear the "prince" to him. Still, their bond—forged through years of grudging partnership—wasn't something you could just toss aside. Only an old rival would understand.
...
On the Golden Ark's deck:
"Captain Brook, I've got eyes on Shirokiri and Salem up ahead! They're making a break for it, heading toward the first half of the New World. Should we cut 'em off?"
Sniper Silva's eagle-like vision had already locked onto the two Vesper Pirates' remnants, and damn, that flagship was a sight to behold!
"They're too scared to head back to Madagascar Island? Antonio, what's the word on old man Vesper? How's he holding up?"
Brook was itching to take down Shirokiri's whole crew in one swoop, but his real prize was Vesper's soul. Shirokiri could wait—souls don't stick around once their owner's gone, and Vesper's was an Emperor-level soul, a once-in-a-lifetime catch!
Should he split the crew?
The original plan was for Redfield and Newgate to block Shirokiri and Salem from retreating to Madagascar Island while Brook raced to claim Vesper's soul.
Now, things were looking even better—Shirokiri and Salem were flat-out fleeing, which caught Brook off guard but made sense. They had no idea how many fighters were aboard the Golden Ark or that Brook was too focused on Vesper's soul to tangle with them personally.
Still, Redfield and Newgate might not be enough to stop those two, and splitting the Hell Pirates' forces too thin could backfire—especially with the Rocks Pirates still looting Ten Kings Island.
Plus, Brook wanted Redfield and Newgate as his bodyguards, just in case Rocks had some scheme up his sleeve or something else went sideways.
One step at a time—rushing in too fast could tear the whole plan apart!
"Full speed to Zawa Island! We deal with Vesper first. Once we've hashed out the territory split with Rocks, we'll hunt down Vesper's leftovers!"
Brook kept his priorities straight. Vesper's soul was the big score. Settle that, negotiate with Rocks to get them off Ten Kings Island before they strip it bare, and then clean up the stragglers.
A plundered Ten Kings Island would break Brook's heart—hell, Shakky and Stussy would probably lose sleep for days over all that lost treasure!
"Silva, keep tabs on Shirokiri's remnants and Rocks' officers. If anyone gets near Madagascar Island, report it ASAP. Antonio, stay on top of Rocks and Vesper's status!"
Brook stood stone-faced at the Golden Ark's bow. Rocks had handed him the Vesper Pirates' territory on a silver platter, letting the Hell Pirates feast like kings.
But greedy ol' Brook wanted more—not just Vesper's soul but every last scrap of Ten Kings Island's wealth. In his mind, those riches were already his, and watching Rocks pillage them stung like a dagger!
If Rocks knew how greedy Brook was, he'd probably sail right up and slap him with a Conqueror's Haki Coiling haymaker. Rocks had lost two officers taking down the Vesper Pirates—looting Ten Kings Island was his rightful reward!
The Hell Pirates were getting a free buffet without lifting a finger, and they still weren't satisfied?
...
On the open sea, Salem let out a sigh of relief as the Golden Ark didn't pursue.
"They're heading to Zawa Island at full speed. What's Brook up to? Teaming up with Rocks to finish off the old man?"
Shirokiri clenched his fists, his heart heavy. In just one day, he'd lost so much—his fiancée, his unborn heir, his father, and maybe even his territory and influence!
"Captain Vesper's done for," Salem said, closing his eyes. He saw no hope for their leader's survival.
"Shirokiri, we need to preserve our strength. Contact Ravena and Jokade—they fled faster than us. We regroup, and we've gotta move fast to grab what's left of Ten Kings Island's resources!"
Salem's eyes lit up. Madagascar Island was lost to Brook, and they didn't dare go back, but the other islands in the Ten Kings chain still had wealth to salvage!
Ravena and Jokade likely had enough time to gather some treasure before escaping. If they could link up, they'd have the makings of a pseudo-Emeror-level force—leagues above any Supernova or run-of-the-mill pirate crew!
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg