New World, Baron Island.
"Hurry up! Move it! Emergency news—top priority! Get it out now!"
The headquarters of the World Economic News, perched on a sky island in the New World, was in utter chaos. President Mortomas barked orders, his hands shaking.
The veteran overlord Vesper had been confirmed dead, and his rival Brook was set to split the New World with Rocks. The news was earth-shattering.
Without photos or fancy layouts, just bold headlines, Mortomas rushed the afternoon edition to print and distributed it worldwide, breaking the massive story!
[Overlord Vesper Confirmed Dead! Hell Pirates and Rocks Pirates Form Official Alliance—Vesper Pirates' Territory to Be Taken Over by Overlord Brook!]
Seagull delivery birds soared to every corner of the globe. The World Government and Navy were stunned—why wasn't it Vesper's crew allying with Hell Pirates against Rocks?
In just a day or two, the entire New World power structure had flipped?
With newspapers confirming it, pirates worldwide erupted in frenzy. Another overlord spot was up for grabs, and neither the Hell Pirates nor Rocks Pirates could protect all that territory.
Rocks Pirates' officers, after looting a few Ten King Islands and filling their coffers, reluctantly followed Rocks' orders. They pulled back to Hachinosu, gearing up to purge supernovas and big-name pirates from their turf.
Even supernovas like Naguri, and World never saw it coming—Rocks teaming up with Brook? No pirate had anticipated that twist; it hit too suddenly.
The New World descended into total anarchy. Ambitious upstarts surged forth, rioting for the new overlord throne. As for Brook claiming all of Vesper's turf? That was nonsense in the pirate world—you prove it with strength!
This was exactly what Rocks wanted. If Brook aimed to devour Vesper's territory, he'd face Vesper's remnants and a pack of supernovas and big shots hungry for scraps.
...
On the other side.
The floating Madagascar Island was heading back to the sky island domain. Brook was assigning tasks: Golden Lion Shiki would take the island alone, while Brook led the full cadre aboard the golden airship to plant flags on the Ten King Islands and others, subjugating those forces.
Angelie and her affiliated pirate crews were also rallying their underlings, storming through and hoisting Hell Pirates flags on all Vesper Pirates islands.
The New World exploded into turmoil. Countless pirates fished in the muddy waters, looting and pillaging. Rocks Pirates quelled the chaos to bolster their power, while Hell Pirates claimed turf and crushed rebels—everyone was swamped.
"Captain Brook, we've already lost a bunch of Den Den Mushi!"
Antonio reported with a heavy heart, grieving the loss. Many pirate crews registered with the Pirate Guild had brazenly crushed their rank-denoting snails, challenging Hell Pirates for Vesper's turf—or even Brook's original holdings.
"They'll all pay the price!"
Brook said coldly. The Pirate Guild system seemed outdated now. Back when three overlords balanced power, there was room for a guild to thrive.
But with Rocks unexpectedly allying with Brook, kicking off a dual-overlord era splitting the New World, the guild's role shrank—almost meaningless.
"Captain Brook, on the other Ten King Islands, Ravena and Jokade cleaned out most of their treasures. Rocks Pirates snatched five more—we're hemorrhaging here!"
Shakky wailed in frustration. Thankfully, they'd grabbed the richest one, Madagascar Island, ahead of time. And they'd reclaimed Jevalle's Island and Salem's Island just in time, salvaging some losses.
Beyond Overlord Vesper's Madagascar, the wealthiest were Salem's Island, Ravena's Island, and Jevalle's Island.
Salem handled all resource logistics, Ravena oversaw hundreds of pirate and merchant ships—the economic lifeline—and Jevalle controlled key routes between the New World and Grand Line.
"No helping it. Rocks took out Vesper for us, losing two top officers in the process. Letting them loot five Ten King Islands is fair payback!"
Brook ached too, but he couldn't stop Rocks' plundering. They had to hurry—plant flags on all Vesper turf first, lay down the law, then deal with the troublemakers later.
From now on, like Rocks, any supernova or big shot who didn't submit got death!
"Captain Brook, our forces are stretched thin. We need a massive troop boost to hold all these islands!"
Redfield rubbed his temples, frustrated. Devouring Saracha's territory had already strained them; swallowing Vesper's holdings was overwhelming!
"..., Shiki's air fleet is in the works. Shakky, pull strings—bring in the Kuja Pirates, even Amazon Lily if you can. Vegapunk's researching cyborg tech. Next time, we'll hit Wano and recruit more samurai."
Brook knew they were short-handed. Fishman Island was ramping up recruitment, and he'd lured in pirates with Devil Fruits before, but it wasn't enough for all those islands.
Maybe another big pirate recruitment drive?
Dangling the Mythical Zoan Octopus Siren Devil Fruit as a prize would draw hordes.
Oh, and a powerhouse force: Zou Island's Mink Tribe, all fierce warriors. Conquering them could ease the manpower crunch big time.
"Captain Brook, I can whip up hundreds of Homies with my chess pieces. Give me enough souls, and I'll make thousands!"
Charlotte Linlin saw Brook's worry and offered up her Homie army, her heart going out to him.
"That's huge! Thanks, Linlin. Seeing you reminds me of the Giant Tribe's Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy. Maybe we can patch things up between you and the giants through them—and recruit some Giant warriors in the process!"
Brook eyed Charlotte Linlin, sparking an idea about Elbaf, the world's strongest nation. A Giant squad would solve everything!
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg