Aboard the gleaming Golden Ark, speeding toward Vesper's territory to lend a hand.
Antonio was monitoring the chatter of major pirates and Pirate Guild members when a Black Iron Den Den Mushi's signal spiked with raw fear and urgency.
Curiosity piqued, he tapped into the feed to see what was up. Through the Den Den Mushi's perspective, he glimpsed a terrifying figure—and this figure was demanding to speak to Brook by name.
Knowing this was no small matter, Antonio rushed to find Brook, urgency in his voice as he reported the situation.
"Rocks figured out the Den Den Mushi trick? And he's asking for me?"
Brook's skeletal face turned grim. Rocks' intellect was no joke—he'd sniffed out the secret of their surveillance Den Den Mushis!
If Rocks spilled this to the world, the Hell Pirates could lose their network of Den Den Mushis and alienate half the Pirate Guild. After all, no pirate wants their every move tracked!
Was his grand Pirate Guild plan facing its first major crisis so soon?
No matter. If this path hit a dead end, it'd only slow their progress a bit—not the end of the world!
Brook followed Antonio into his chamber, eager to see what game Rocks, the mightiest overlord, was playing.
He was already headed to Vesper's turf to take on Rocks alongside him. So why was Rocks calling him out before the battle? Just to sling some trash talk?
The Den Den Mushi's battery wasn't built for long chats, so Brook dropped the pretense and dialed the newspaper's gifted Den Den Mushi.
"Puru puru~"
"Brook??"
Rocks' Black Iron Den Den Mushi stayed silent, but the newspaper Den Den Mushi rang instead. He picked it up anyway.
"What if I said it wasn't me, Rocks? Spit it out—I'm on my way to team up with Vesper and take you down, oh great overlord!"
Through Antonio's relay Den Den Mushi, Brook could even see Rocks' smug face.
"So it is you, Brook! That Den Den Mushi's been spying on me for ages. I should've known you had a Devil Fruit user controlling those snails, tracking my every move!"
Rocks had suspected as much, but confirmation lit a fire in his chest, his voice dripping with barely contained rage.
"Yohoho, enough chit-chat! What's your deal? Don't tell me you just called to snoop on me!"
Brook regretted answering. He should've let Rocks stew in his paranoia!
"You're a crafty one, Brook. I'll give you that—your tricks are clever, even if I don't respect 'em. But let's be real, I can't touch you on this."
"So how's this for a deal? Team up with me, take out Vesper, and we split his territory. Hell, you can have it all! In return, we form an alliance. You stop messing with my plans to crush those Supernovas, help me drive the Marines out of the New World, and lend a hand destroying one little island. What do you say?"
Rocks dropped a bombshell, offering to hand over Vesper's entire territory. But Brook smelled a trap.
Rocks couldn't hold all his islands now—giving Brook Vesper's turf would stretch the Hell Pirates thin, leaving them vulnerable. The Supernovas would swarm the power vacuum, causing chaos!
And with Vesper gone, no one could counter Rocks' Conqueror's Haki Coiling. He'd dominate the New World, even if he couldn't wipe out the Hell Pirates. Brook and his Conqueror's Haki crew would need a year or two to catch up—plenty of time for Rocks to cement his rule.
The Supernovas and other big shots? Without Conqueror's Haki Coiling, they'd never rise to the top. Even mastering Armament Haki emission takes years!
With Vesper out, two veteran overlords and three near-overlords would be off the board in just a year or two. The remaining pirates and Supernovas would need ages to reach that level. As long as Brook stopped leaking Rocks' location, he'd have all the time he needed to clean house.
...
Brook had to admit, the offer was tempting. Swallowing Vesper's territory would skyrocket the Hell Pirates' status. But like Rocks, Brook lacked the manpower to hold it all.
If the Hell Pirates claimed Vesper's turf, every pirate in the New World would come gunning for a piece, potentially collapsing the fledgling Pirate Guild he'd worked so hard to build!
Clever bastard!
Rocks had cooked up a ruthless plan—whether by design or dumb luck. Handing Brook Vesper's territory would not only secure an alliance and stop the location leaks but also redirect every major pirate and Supernova to the newly vacant turf.
It'd even kneecap Brook's Pirate Guild, as pirates scrambled for land instead of fearing pursuit. With so much territory up for grabs, neither the Hell Pirates nor Rocks' crew could hold it all!
"Why not bring Vesper into the fold? We could team up, kick the Marines out of the New World, and hit that island you're so keen on!"
Brook was tempted but needed Vesper to keep Rocks in check. If Rocks turned on him, Brook's only option would be to turtle up and bide his time.
With Silva's vast intelligence network on their side, a sneak attack was unlikely, but still—who could stop Rocks if he went all-out?
"Hmph! Vesper's lost his edge. Word is, his grandkid's due in a few months. He's not risking a war with the Marines! He's probably dreaming of retirement and training his heirs. In a year or two, he'll be out anyway. Why not take him down now?"
"Here's my real offer: a true alliance. We split the New World evenly, no interference, each building our own empire. After we boot the Marines, I get 60% of the allied nations' turf, you get 40%—fair trade for letting you have all of Vesper's land. Deal?"
Rocks' voice burned with ambition. He needed time to stabilize his own territory, fed up with the constant harassment from Supernovas and rival pirates.
He was willing to help Brook crush Vesper's crew, clear out the old guard, and lure other pirates to the empty territory.
Pulling Brook into his camp would pit them against every other pirate—a classic clash between rising powers and entrenched overlords!
In Rocks' eyes, the so-called Pirate Guild was a joke. When push came to shove, loyalty crumbled in the face of profit!
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg