Roger and Rayleigh stood with exasperated looks, roped into the chaos of the God Valley War against their will. They'd walked away with nothing but a single rubbing of a red historical text—hardly a treasure haul. All their gold and silver had been handed over, and now they were stuck playing free muscle for this mess. Total loss!
"Yohohoho! Roger, don't worry, you won't be shortchanged!" Brook cackled, his skeletal grin wide.
"You'll get your share of the loot, no problem! And we're not throwing you into the deep end. Just handle Garp or Black Arm Zephyr, and you're golden!"
Brook's laughter echoed as he casually delegated the heavy hitters to Roger's crew. Meanwhile, he and Rocks had their sights set on the real prizes: the Devil Fruit users.
"Hey, Rocks, don't say I'm hogging the good stuff!" Brook called out, smirking. "Aokiba, Jung, Sengoku… take your pick!"
Rocks' face twisted with barely contained frustration, and Brook, sensing the tension, decided not to push too hard. After all, he'd already bagged Admiral Devo, so he tossed the first choice to Rocks to keep the peace.
"Hmph! Don't waste my time with obvious choices!" Rocks growled. "I'll take the Admiral, and Golden Buddha Sengoku too!"
With two top-tier Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit users in his sights, Rocks saw a clear path to victory. Between his crew, Brook's Hell Pirates, and Roger's crew, they had more than enough firepower to crush the Navy's remnants.
Admiral Devo was already Brook's prisoner, and Candidate Admiral Braille had been taken out by Brook's hand. Two of the Knights of God had fallen to Rocks. The power gap between the pirates and the Navy was undeniable.
"Alright then! Let's make this quick!" Brook shouted, tossing out a smokescreen for flair. "I've got Celestial Dragons to chase!"
His theatrics were so over-the-top that even Red Earl Redfield, watching from the shadows, rolled his eyes, mentally roasting Brook's dramatics.
Brook leaned in to whisper something to Golden Lion Shiki, who grumbled but took off toward the Celestial Dragons' lofty palace, steering clear of the main battle.
The Navy had hoped the three pirate crews would turn on each other, but in less than twenty minutes, they were charging as a united front, a tidal wave of chaos barreling toward the Navy's lines.
Terrified, Admiral Aokiba bellowed for a retreat. One Hell Pirates crew was bad enough—three pirate crews? That was a death sentence. The Navy scattered in panic. Some CP0 agents had already escorted the first wave of rescued Celestial Dragons to safety, leaving behind the grunts tied to the fallen Dragons. Most of these brainwashed agents were ready to die for their masters, though a few with sharper minds started eyeing escape routes.
"No way we're letting them slip through!" Rocks roared. His eyes burned with determination to take down Aokiba and Sengoku. Forget gold and jewels—those were pocket change. Strength was the only currency that mattered to him, and those Mythical Zoan powers would supercharge his crew, especially Skal and Ochoku.
Still, Rocks couldn't shake his frustration over the island's top-tier Devil Fruits. Had Brook swiped them? Or had the Celestial Dragons smuggled them out early?
Brook, of course, didn't give a damn about Rocks' priorities. His Hell Pirates were laser-focused on hunting down Candidate Admiral Jung. As for who caught their targets? That was a matter of skill and luck.
Roger's crew zeroed in on Garp alone. They taunted him relentlessly, throwing half-hearted attacks and feigning weakness to lure the reckless brawler toward a hidden port near their ship, the Oro Jackson, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
Brook's Hell Pirates were just as shameless, chasing down the lightning-fast Jung with their full force. In no time, they'd pulled far ahead of Rocks' crew and the Navy's main forces.
…
Roger's crew stuck to Garp like glue, while Brook's gang hounded Jung, leaving Rocks fuming. Those sneaky bastards!
Aokiba, Golden Buddha Sengoku, Black Arm Zephyr… they saw the battlefield split and the two pirate crews peeling off. It clicked instantly: the pirate alliance was fracturing!
Aokiba, sizing up the situation, saw a slim chance. If he could hold off a wounded Rocks, Fleet Admiral Kurotaka might arrive in time to pin Rocks' crew down for good. The Hell Pirates, with their flight and mobility, were a nightmare to pin down, but Rocks' crew? They were vulnerable.
Rocks' first mate, Skal, was already battered, one arm barely functional. Aokiba made his call.
"Sengoku, I'll stall Rocks for a bit. You take out Skal as fast as you can, then back me up. Zephyr, handle Ochoku. The rest of you Vice Admirals, take on their lieutenants!"
Aokiba saw a shot at redemption. Fleeing like cowards would only bring shame and punishment back at Navy HQ. Better to go down swinging against Rocks.
"Understood!" the Navy shouted in unison. This battle was a disaster, but they had to buy time for Fleet Admiral Kurotaka's reinforcements.
"Jiehahaha! That's the spirit! Bring it on!" Rocks bellowed, his rage boiling over. Brook was going to pay for this betrayal—double!
But first, he needed to secure those Mythical Zoan powers:. Before the Navy's backup arrived, those fruits were his.
Aokiba transformed into a massive Pegasus and took to the skies, keeping his distance to avoid Rocks' Dark-Dark Fruit tricks. He and Rocks were old foes, each knowing exactly how to counter the other.
Sengoku, in his Golden Buddha form, unleashed his full power and charged straight for the injured Skal, aiming to finish him fast and swing back to help Aokiba.
Ochoku, rushing to aid Skal, was intercepted by Zephyr. Their clash was explosive—Zephyr's blackened fists against Ochoku's supreme-grade blade, sparks flying with every strike.
Grimm Vane, still reeling from losing his monkey partner and the side effects of an ES drug, was shockingly being pushed back by Rear Admiral.
Four or five Vice Admirals squared off against Silver Axe, Captain John, Jennifer the Giantess, the Karnz brothers, and Eric Darn—lieutenants and allied captains of Rocks' crew. The battle descended into a brutal stalemate, something Rocks hadn't anticipated.
Damn that Brook! Damn that Roger!
With the Hell Pirates' main force here, they could've steamrolled the Navy. Rocks' hatred for Brook surged to new heights. Aligning with that skeleton was the biggest mistake of his life.
Brook wasn't a Conqueror's Haki user—he was just a conniving, shameless lowlife!
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Fanfic is finished 955 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg