In the dark underbelly of the world, on a secret island fortress, the Umit Family prepared for their boldest move yet.
"Big Brother, Lord Brook agreed?! That's incredible! Our Umit Family is finally going to become the sole titan of the underground transport world, like the Du Family and the Drago Syndicate!" the third brother, Umina, shouted with glee.
After the Hell Pirates helped obliterate Maxway's New World Dispatch Company, the Umit Family rose rapidly in the transport industry. Only Kawase remained a threat. If they could crush it now with Brook's support, their path to total dominance would be complete.
"That's right," replied Ummid, the eldest brother, twirling his mustache with pride. "Master Brook has nothing urgent on his plate, so he's already pledged his aid. Once we've monopolized this industry, we'll stamp out any rising force before it gains traction."
Umile, the second brother, leaned forward. "If Brook-sama controls intelligence and transportation, he'll only be blocked from the financial sector run by the Du Family and the assassin syndicate led by the Drago Family. What do you think, will he expand into merchandise and warehousing, or dive into the entertainment underworld?"
The entertainment industry—gambling, drugs, sex, and underground fighting—was still divided among multiple factions. In contrast, the supply chain from raw goods to warehousing tied directly into their transportation empire. If they could dominate it, even the likes of Rocks and Diger would be forced to eat from their hands.
After all, even in the original canon, the Whitebeard Pirates bought medicines and wine from the Donquixote Family. The Two-Horned Bull Group's milk and beverages flooded the New World market. Pirates didn't produce—they pillaged. But to eat, drink, and live, they had to rely on the underground market.
Bars, inns, and brothels were tied to the intelligence and entertainment networks. Only Emperors with vast territory like Big Mom and Kaido had full production lines. Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard? Business amateurs.
The navy's intelligence on pirate movements often came from this underground spider web.
---
This time, the Hell Pirates kept things subtle. Shiki the Golden Lion used his Float-Float Fruit to levitate a basic pirate ship, ferrying Brook and the crew to the meeting point with the Umit Family.
"Captain Brook, I didn't know you had such fashion sense!" said Shakky, dressed in a gothic lolita outfit with a dark gold smiley mask, matching her vampiric aesthetic.
"Yohohoho~! We're going with a 'hell rock' theme today. No Devil Fruit powers if possible—let loose, but do it cleanly!"
Brook had issued strict orders: If anyone used their powers, there must be no survivors left to talk.
For the first time, the entire crew wore matching dark attire. Brook nearly broke into tears when he saw Newgate, the white-bearded titan who favored pristine white, and Shiki, who adored gold, both decked out in black crow-feather coats and demonic masks. The sight was surreal.
Stussy, clad in a black succubus outfit with golden accents and seductive stockings, completed the ensemble. She wore a golden masquerade mask, equal parts elegance and danger.
In a world where no one recognized anyone unless they wore the same hat for ten years, Brook figured their disguises would work just fine. After all, in Dressrosa, the Straw Hats wore paper-thin costumes and went unnoticed.
"We can finally plunder without restraint," said Charlotte Linlin, her grin wide. She had exhausted much of her soul reserves remodeling Cake Island and needed to replenish—violently.
Brook nodded grimly. In this world, fairness was a lie. Innocent or not, anyone employed by the World Transport Company would be purged—unless they surrendered on the spot and joined the Umit Family.
"Captain Brook, intelligence says the World Transport Company is secretly backed by the Diger Pirates. If we run into them... should we engage?" asked Redfield.
Although officially distanced, the Hell Pirates and Diger Pirates still shared an unspoken alliance. If Rocks made a move, they'd have to support each other. But this mission was personal.
"Hahaha! We're not the Hell Pirates tonight. We're the Pentakill Rock Band!" Shiki cackled, dragging a thumb across his throat. "Diger Pirates, Rocks Pirates... we cut them all down!"
Brook gave his cold approval. This operation was too important. The transportation monopoly meant long-term power.
"Understood!" the crew responded in unison.
The directive was clear:
No Devil Fruit usage unless necessary.
If used, leave no witnesses.
Move like shadows.
Strike like thunder.
Leave like ghosts.
The nondescript pirate ship touched down silently in the sea. No need to fly all the way—everyone knew Shiki's Float-Float Fruit when they saw it.
The island was already under siege. The Umit Family had launched a coordinated assault on the World Transport Company's headquarters.
Explosions lit up the night sky. Artillery thundered from cliffside emplacements. Umit himself led the charge.
Their target: Kawase Poshe, the CEO of World Transport. With him gone, the company would crumble.
Brook observed the battlefield.
This wasn't a pirate raid. It was a war of structure, hierarchy, and ruthless ambition. The difference between the criminal underworld and the pirate world had never been clearer.
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Like a swarm of ants surging forward, uniformed fighters armed with rifles and pistols launched an organized assault in echelons. On both flanks, animal-type Devil Fruit users emerged, diving into the chaos and wreaking havoc among the masses.
Moments later, swordsmen with glinting blades and shirtless boxers leapt into the fray, their battles fierce and deadlocked. It became clear that the strength of the World Transport Company could not be taken lightly.
Suddenly, a towering man clad in black armor burst forth from the company's base. His face was obscured by a gladiator-style mask, his presence radiating intense Armament Haki. With brutal efficiency, he pummeled two of the Umit family's strongest fighters into the ground—both coughing up blood under his relentless blows.
"You bastard, Kawase! You actually brought in outside help?!"
Ummid's expression twisted in anger. Despite having invited the Hell Pirates himself, he wasted no time playing the moral card and pointing fingers.
"Hmph! You old rat, Ummid. Don't act like you're clean," Kawase growled. "You've clearly made deals with some secret backer—how else could you have swallowed up Maxway's New World Dispatch Company so quickly? Since you struck first, don't blame me for finishing it on the fifteenth!"
After whispering a few words to a group of black-robed figures beside him, Kawase stepped forward, his killing intent flooding the battlefield. "Today, the Umit family is getting wiped out. No survivors."
Above them, the sky began to shift. Gusts of wind gathered ominously, swirling with unnatural force. Both Brook and Redfield turned their gazes upward.
"Yohohoho~ That wind... familiar!" Brook chuckled. His eyes gleamed beneath his hat. "Looks like the Wind Control Fruit is here. If we take it, Golden Island won't have to worry about stormy weather ever again."
Redfield, eyes narrow, glanced toward the growing storm. "Brother Brook... are we killing that bastard this time?"
Brook's grin stretched wide. "Don't let him escape. Not this time."
The Hell Pirates had once slain Rocks' top officer, Salmon. What was one more body on the pile?
In this era of piracy, the power structure had become a delicate triangle. No true alliances remained—only shifting tides of betrayal and blood. If someone left their flank exposed, Brook would carve it clean.
"I heard Diger's been keeping Jack locked up on Madagascar Island for the past half-year," Brook mused. "Apparently, he's been forced into... reproductive service. Dozens of races, all for breeding. If he fails, he doesn't leave that island."
"Hahahaha~ And now we get Xiao Feng, the 'Wind Menace,' stirring up trouble again." Golden Lion Shiki scowled. "I hate that brat. Wind Control's a natural counter to my Float-Float Fruit. If we can kill him, even better."
"I heard Jack's living a... very human life on Ten Kings Island these days," Shakky added, teasingly glancing at Brook. "Guess Angel found someone better, huh?"
"Tch." Stussy crossed her arms. "Why can this guy use his Devil Fruit powers, but we can't? Isn't that cheating?"
"Gurarara~" Whitebeard Newgate chuckled. "Xiao Feng probably thinks he can erase the Umit family before witnesses arrive. Technically, this island is World Transport's property. The Umit family are intruders."
If Xiao Feng and his crew were this confident, then how many of the Diger Pirates' officers had come along for this raid?
"Mama mama~" Charlotte Linlin's eyes twinkled. "If that's true, can I eat the soul of one of their top officer? This mission sounds delicious."
The island ahead was Liuxia Port—one of the Transport Company's most important territories.
Brook cracked his knuckles. "This operation is codenamed: Full Erasure of Xiao Feng. Leave no survivors! CHARGE!!!"
He spotted Xiao Feng—now clad in a sweeping black robe—rushing through the Umit family's base like a gale. If they were late by even a second, Ummid might be gone for good.
On the ground, Ummid was already panicking. He hadn't shown his face in public for months. He'd only come today because the Hell Pirates were expected to show up—he wanted to greet Brook personally and reaffirm their alliance.
But Kawase had played dirty. He'd brought backup.
And not just any backup—Xiao Feng, Division Captain of the Diger Pirates. They hadn't even exchanged words before launching an all-out assault. No warning, no signal—just violence.
Now Ummid could only flee, praying that Brook and his crew had arrived. If they didn't... then whether it was Xiao Feng the Wind Butcher or Kawase the Gale Executioner, it would all be over.
Empowered by the Wind Control Fruit, Xiao Feng blitzed through the base. His only goal: slaughter Ummid and his two younger brothers. Once they were gone, the Umit family would fall. Their assets would be devoured by Kawase—just as the Diger Pirates intended.
With the Dark News organization long gone, Diger had been silently rebuilding his influence in the underworld. By supporting key factions like Kawase, he planned to retake the shadows.
If Jack hadn't been stuck with his... baby-making mission, he would've definitely shown up himself. Xiao Feng sometimes wondered if Jack was already dead. Months without word—was little Jack broken beyond repair?
Still, that wasn't Xiao Feng's problem. He wasn't some romance protagonist worried about heirs. "Madam, surely you don't want to be childless, do you?"—yeah, that kind of story wasn't his.
Suddenly—BOOM!
The air tensed. A chilling wave of killing intent slammed into him. Before Xiao Feng could react, several streaks of sword aura slashed through the path in front of him, tearing crisscrossing lines through the air.
He froze. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
He was almost dead.
More terrifyingly, the presence behind the attack was... familiar.
No, worse.
It was the smell of death.
And—dammit—it was that cursed giant syringe again!
"Yohohoho~ Tonight, I am Karsus—the lead vocalist of Rock Pentakill—singing praise to Death itself!" Brook's ghostly voice echoed across the battlefield. "In front of Death, all are equal!!"
Xiao Feng didn't even see him. The voice resonated from every direction, crawling into his very soul. Around him, countless ghostly generals began to rise from the shadows, whispering elegies into the wind.
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