Right now, the World Government rules the Four Seas and the Grand Line, and controls eight of the ten richest islands in the world. The New World, a chaotic region with brutal, unstable weather, is not even as valuable as the Grand Line in their eyes.
To the World Government, the New World is like the grasslands in an ancient empire. The fertile heartland looks down on it, thinking it is too bitter to swallow, yet too wasteful to throw away, and always dangerous if ignored.
On top of that, the great pirates of the New World are like nomadic tribes. They never seem to run out, they fight like demons, and their mobility is terrifying.
Even when the World Government once seized a few islands in the middle and rear parts of the New World, they could never hold them for long. Pirates kept swarming in, harassing the garrisons until those islands fell again. In the end, it was nothing but a drain on money and manpower.
The comfortable nobles of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons have no desire to pour endless troops into the New World's war swamp. With the Four Seas, the Grand Line, and Heavenly Tribute, they already live in luxury without worry.
If they pulled most forces from the Four Seas and the Grand Line just to deal with what they see as a useless New World, what happens when their grip loosens? The flow of Heavenly Tribute would be threatened.
Pirates, gangs, bandits, non member countries, pirate kingdoms, oppressed civilians, the moment the navy's pressure drops, every one of those forces would jump up and cause trouble.
So even if the World Government wants to deal with the great pirates of the New World, they can only do it while keeping the Four Seas and the Grand Line stable.
In this situation, why would the World Government and Celestial Dragons, who hold the most resources and the highest status, swap their secure home turf for a direct clash with lowly pirates like Brook?
That is why the garrisons in Holy Land Marijoa and Marineford cannot be reduced. Otherwise, even if the World Government destroyed Doragonzo Island and the Eighteen Hell Islands, but lost those two pillars, it would be a disaster that counts as total failure.
Before Shiki appeared, they never feared Marijoa being attacked by pirates. Now they must guard against the Hell Pirates' flying fleet, and Brook also holds the ancient weapon Pluton.
Because of all this, the Five Elders' idea of launching a joint, all out campaign is almost impossible. This is the curse of huge powers. Their territory is too wide, their fronts too many, and every wall needs troops to hold it.
Since they cannot declare full war on the New World pirates, they can only look for other routes. One option was Ethanbaron's suggestion, to contact Rocks, the D clan pirate overlord.
But the Five Elders clearly underestimated Rocks D. Zebek's cruelty. He would rather fight Brook to the death than cooperate with the World Government. He even killed the CP agent sent to approach him.
With that, the Five Elders had no choice but to swallow their anger and keep waiting for the two dominant pirate groups to tear into each other. At the same time, they could only pray the Knights of God and CP0 teams would successfully wipe out the Roger Pirates and eliminate those traitors who dared peek into the void century.
··
New World, Sky Island, Ballon Island.
After getting seeds from Roger and Rayleigh, Vegapunk and Crocus moved fast. They began raising D clan test tube embryos, then implanted them into women from the Portgas clan and Trafalgar clan.
The goal was simple. Cultivate pure D clan bloodlines, and expand the number of D descendants.
On Golden Island, Brook watched his own children and students with a satisfied smile. Their auras had grown stronger, their eyes sharper, their will firmer. The eldest, Hades, and the second, Osiris, already carried the faint outline of Conqueror's Haki.
Give them the right spark, and they could awaken at any moment.
The others were doing well too. Now it depended on whether they could break through in spirit, and whether they had enough courage to shake off the pressure of ten clashing Conqueror's auras and forge their own path.
After Brook finished this round of intense training for the second generation, new information reached him.
Inside the war room of the golden ship.
"Yohoho, tell Shiki to cool his head. Our real target is here!"
Brook laughed as he spoke. Rocks was indeed on his list, but the real target had always been the World Government. To cut the World Government down piece by piece, he had even made use of Roger.
He had not stopped Shiki from harassing Rocks' territory either. It let Shiki vent his temper, and it also stirred up the World Government's nerves, making them believe the Hell Pirates could strike Rocks at any moment.
But how could Brook move against Rocks that quickly?
At the very least, he had to wait until Roger conquered the final island and became the World Government's biggest thorn. Only then would Brook carry out his next step.
Brook wanted to see what the World Government chose to crush first. The Hell Pirates aiming to dominate the New World, or the Roger Pirates who would soon know the truth of the void century.
"Brother Brook, so these were your targets all along?" Kaido muttered, sounding a little deflated. "I really thought we were about to go to war with Rocks."
He had been waiting for that unification war for a long time. He wanted to rise in flames against the Rocks Pirates.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Oden barked back, loud as ever. "We will hit Rocks, Marineford, and eventually even the World Government!"
He mostly wanted to argue with Kaido. Since Yamata no Orochi could not fly, Kaido had mocked him nonstop.
But in a real fight, Oden was not weaker at all. His swordsmanship even pressured Kaido. In pure weapon clashes, Oden usually held the edge.
"Don't underestimate the secret force hunting the Roger Pirates," Antonio said seriously. "One Knight of God and five CP0 teams. Sixteen people total. If you two charge in, you'll be in trouble."
The Knights of God were already approaching admiral level. Each CP0 member was on par with a vice admiral. That lineup was much stronger than any fake overlord crew.
Kaido and Oden were growing fast, but they still had not reached full admiral strength. Even so, they already stood at headquarters vice admiral level, and could rival the elite among them.
Give them another ten years, and they would surely hit admiral class.
"Those old geezers in the World Government are really serious," someone muttered. "Sending that many monsters into the New World just to deal with Roger?"
"So our goal this time is to protect the Roger Pirates and wipe out that elite squad?"
"But even without us, can that team really beat Roger? Did they underestimate him?"
"They underestimated Roger, sure," another voice said. "But if they actually clash, the Roger Pirates will still take losses."
Out of Roger's twenty plus crew, not everyone was vice admiral level. If a real battle erupted, several of them could die under CP0's hands.
-------------
Brook and his crew studied the intel Hiruba had gathered. Using the clairvoyant powers of the Glare Glare Fruit, Hiruba had been monitoring Marijoa the whole time, so the trail was clean and reliable.
"This time, we wipe out that squad," Brook said with a cold smile. The initiative was firmly in his hands now. He wanted Roger to land on the final island and become Pirate King, and even the World Government would not be allowed to stop that.
"Ha, then I'll be Roger's bodyguard for free!"
"Captain Brook, give me a shot. I want to fight that Knight of God!"
Kaido instantly grabbed for the strongest opponent. He was already being called an immortal man, and he wanted to see just how terrifying a Knight of God really was.
"I'll show that Knight of God my two sword style," Oden barked out as well. Even if he had to clash with Kaido head on, he was not backing down. If he took down a Knight of God, his bounty should jump past one billion berries, right?
Seeing the two of them fighting over monsters, the other commanders started throwing their hats into the ring too, especially Shakky, who badly needed real achievements. She wanted a bounty that actually matched her position. Otherwise, she really would be the weakest captain in the lineup.
These days, even Kaido, Oden, Fisher Tiger, Scarlett, and the rest were forming their own teams, taking missions independently, and suppressing huge swaths of Hell Pirates territory on their own.
In the end, Brook did not assign anyone a specific opponent. He let them fight freely. He even planned to bring his children and students along, so they could taste the horror of real war for themselves.
Just like that, a golden ship lifted from Ballon Island.
··
On a far island in the back half of the New World, a merchant ship from the underworld drifted quietly through the sea. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen silent guards moved. They slaughtered everyone onboard, seized the ship, and set course for their target.
The Knight of God, Arabo, received a message from the Five Elders. His face did not change, but the content was sharp. Their situation was dangerous. They might already be the Hell Pirates' prey.
They had to hide well. If they could not locate the Roger Pirates, they were to retreat immediately, leave the New World, and return to Marijoa.
After a moment's thought, Arabo decided to keep searching. He would sail this merchant ship onward and hunt Roger's trail for one more week. If he found nothing, he would withdraw first.
If the Hell Pirates caught them here, it would be a disaster.
Still, Arabo was not worried. His Devil Fruit ability guaranteed his escape. That was the real reason the Five Elders sent him. Even if the mission failed, he could still get out alive.
"Set course for Water Star Island," Arabo ordered, tugging at his white gloves. Those hands clearly hid a strange power.
As a regime with eight hundred years of history, the World Government had its own permanent pointer to the last island of the New World. They wanted news of the Roger Pirates as fast as possible.
Among the CP0 agents was a Devil Fruit user skilled in tracking. He had been dispatched specifically for this hunt.
Once they reached Water Star Island, they collected traces left from the Roger Pirates' earlier stop, banquet scraps, waste, anything that carried a scent or signature. The tracker used it to lock onto their direction.
Not long after the merchant ship left Water Star Island, a golden ship appeared in the sky above the island.
"Brother Brook, they're heading southeast," Hiruba reported. He had watched these government hounds the whole way, but still had not seen their abilities clearly.
"Then we keep chasing," Brook said with a grin. "We finish them in the open sea."
He did not understand why the World Government had not recalled these CP forces. Were they underestimating his intelligence network, or were they confident they could slip away from his hands?
Brook turned to his children and students. "Let me ask you something. If you were told to fight an opponent who looks weaker than you, what would you do?"
It was time to teach them how cruel this world could be.
"The weak aren't worth my time. I'd look for someone stronger!"
"A lion still puts its full strength into killing a rabbit. End it fast!"
"Cripple them first, then see if they're worth taking alive. If they're a Devil Fruit user, bring them back. If not, kill them."
"If they're really strong, I'll beat them, then make them my little brother!"
His kids and students burst into chatter, competing to answer, eager to show off in front of Brook.
"Yohoho. Never let your guard down against any enemy," Brook said, cutting through their noise. "This sea is full of Devil Fruit powers that make no sense. One touch might strip you of your fighting ability and you'd be dead before you can even swing."
"Do not assume someone dies just because their head is cut off or their heart is pierced. Maybe they can clone themselves, maybe they can regenerate, maybe they are immortal. So never get arrogant."
He was thinking of too many examples, Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, Doflamingo's string clone, his own immortality, Foxy's slow beams. Abilities like that were perfect for killing people who got careless.
Even the strongest can fall if they underestimate a strange power.
"Understood!"
"Do we still scatter the ashes? Then we can't give the body to Uncle Abefu."
"Don't rush in just because they look down. Hit them from range first."
"Should we shoot the corpse with seastone bullets? Then they can't fake death."
"Throw it into the sea and let it soak. Maybe use a shell to spray it too."
"I'll rely on my Haki. I won't fear Devil Fruit tricks."
Brook was pleased. These brats were strong, but strength without caution was just a bigger target.
Power is one thing. Arrogance is another.
He wanted them to become sharp and careful, the kind of fighters who win ugly if they have to. In the old era, even Roger never stole Linlin's red historical text by force. Yet later, Luffy's crew did exactly that.
Linlin was one of the Four Emperors, but two Pirate Kings stole her red historical texts anyway. She ended up as nothing more than a caretaker for other people's dreams.
So yes, even Conqueror's Haki monsters can afford to be cautious.
"Little ones, follow my command," Brook said, voice ringing through the ship.
"The underwater fishmen are in position, and the air forces are ready. We do not give them a single chance to escape."
He was setting a three line net across sea, land, and sky, his standard encirclement doctrine, especially to shut down space type Devil Fruit escapes.
He had even told Newgate to stand by, ready to shatter space itself if needed. The enemy would not get even one breath of freedom.
For the brats watching, this was their first real look at a Hell Pirates encirclement and suppression battle.
It was a true dragnet.
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