The main crew of a dominant pirate group had surrounded a candidate for admiral. Unless a miracle occurred, Youge's escape was impossible.
That was the reality. Redfield's lightning-fast movements hemmed him in, while Brook's relentless strikes—especially his soul slashes—pressed harder and harder. Every exchange pushed Youge further into despair.
"No! I can't die here! Justice needs me! The world needs me!"
Bloodied and burned, his body bore deep sword wounds, fire scars, and lightning burns. He forced his life force to hold his body together, straining every vein to squeeze out more power.
"Awaken… Speed Fruit… awaken for me!!"
Even on the edge of collapse, Youge clung to hope. He had sworn to reach admiral rank, to protect the people, to enforce justice. His skin flushed crimson, blood pumping at its limit as he forced his body toward awakening.
"Yohohoho! Struggling won't save you. You're not the protagonist—no miracle awaits you!"
Brook sneered. From beneath his white gloves, a slender seastone nail slipped between his fingers and launched forward with blinding speed.
The nail whistled through the air, tearing circles into the wind like a bullet through water. In the next instant, it was upon Youge.
"One hundred million volts—Thunder Net!"
Redfield's voice cracked through the battlefield as a blazing web of lightning sealed off Youge's retreat.
"Thunder-Fire Lightning Sword!"
Charlotte Linlin's three Homies struck together, releasing a blade of white energy hundreds of meters long, slicing across his flank.
Below, Whitebeard swung his Tremor-Tremor powers, shattering the ground with shockwaves and closing off the last escape path.
Every road was sealed.
"No!! I won't give up!!"
The seastone nail pierced Qiang Yuge's body. Electricity from Redfield's net surged through him, his muscles locking as smoke rose from his charred flesh. He plummeted, body twitching.
"You should feel honored," Brook said coldly, appearing before him in a swirl of frost. "To force the Hell Pirates to mobilize so much power… even in defeat, that's your legacy."
The Seven-Star Demon Sword slid mercilessly into Youge's shoulder. The cursed blade drank greedily, his blood soaking its edge until his strength left him entirely.
"Cough…!"
He hacked blood, glaring at Brook with eyes burning with resentment. The Hell Pirates fought without honor, without principle—an entire crew unleashed on a single man.
Yet he did not beg. He closed his eyes, surrendering to fate. Admiral rank had been one step away. Now, he would never see his father, mother, wife, or child again.
"Justice… forgive me…"
"There is no right or wrong," Brook whispered, his voice like ice. "Only sides."
Chains rattled as his cadres stepped forward, snapping seastone cuffs onto Youge's wrists and ankles. The admiral candidate was bound and broken, dragged before the Hell Pirates.
"Brother Brook, should we return to help Rocks… or hunt down more navy ability users?"
Linlin's voice carried a rare edge of excitement. Today, the Navy looked fragile—like a dying tiger.
"Yohoho! No. We retreat. The Admirals' reinforcements will be here soon."
Brook's laugh rang sharp. "Better to let Rocks bleed again. Let his crew grow weaker and weaker… until they're nothing but pawns."
Whitebeard rumbled in agreement. "Then we regroup with Shiki. We've already harvested more than anyone imagined. Best to carry it back safely."
"Good. Signal Shiki. It's time to retreat," Brook ordered, laughter echoing over the ruined island. "Today marks the turning point—the Hell Pirates' true rise begins here!"
On the far side of God Valley, the Golden Lion Shiki was tearing palaces from their foundations, floating them into the sky like children's toys. Gold glittered in his eyes.
But the sudden arrival of ragged slaves halted his rampage.
"What? Roger sent you?" Shiki barked, scowling. "Damn him! What do I care about his favors?!"
The slaves shrank back, trembling. Hope drained from their faces, some sobbing outright. If they failed to escape today, they would die screaming at their masters' hands.
"Tch. Quiet down! Stop bawling!" Shiki snapped, his aura flaring. "The Hell Pirates need talent. Anyone with skill—step forward. Prove your worth, and you'll leave this island with me."
His words crushed the panic, and a towering man stumbled forward, collar heavy on his neck, eyes glistening.
"My lord—I ate the Zoan, Rooster-Rooster Fruit. Save me… and I will serve you until death!"
The red Hoof of the Soaring Dragon scar on his forehead glared in the light. His family had been wiped out by slave-hunters, his clan destroyed, and now he begged only for freedom.
Shiki's grin widened. "Well, well… treasures in the most unexpected places! Are there more? Devil Fruit users? Fighters?"
Dozens more stepped up—Celestial Dragon gladiators, warriors forced to kill for sport.
"From now on, you're First Division of the Hell Pirates!" Shiki roared with laughter. "I'll take you all with me!"
His floating island absorbed the slaves as new crew, swelling his strength. By the time Brook's forces arrived, Shiki had already built himself an army.
"Shiki's ready to move," Hiruba reported.
Brook's eyes gleamed. "Good. Admiral Kukulkan is almost here. We retreat now."
------------
New World – Outskirts of God Valley.
A colossal warship cut through the sea at terrifying speed—the flagship of Fleet Admiral Kukulkan.
"It's too late. My Lords, Knights, Commander of CP, prepare my body if I fall," Kukulkan said solemnly. His black pupils narrowed, transforming into emerald-green vertical slits.
"Roar!"
His cry split the heavens as feathers sprouted across his skin. Enormous wings unfurled, his body stretching into the divine form of a two-winged feathered serpent, hundreds of meters long.
Navy Admiral Kukulkan—Mythical Zoan: Snake-Snake Fruit, Model Quetzalcoatl!
Dark clouds rolled in at his call, and torrential rain poured down. Quetzalcoatl heralded the storm—summoning downpours was its birthright.
"Climb on!"
His serpent head bellowed. The three God's Knights and the masked CP0 commander leapt onto his back. With one titanic flap of his wings, Quetzalcoatl soared toward the battlefield of God Valley.
Meanwhile, aboard the Hell Pirates' flagship, sniper Hiruba tracked the sky through his Fruit. His eyes widened.
"Captain Brook! Something's coming—huge! The Admiral… he's turned into a feathered serpent god, a beast hundreds of meters long! And he's carrying four figures on his back—three knights clad in that same armor we saw before, and a CP commander in a white mask!"
Brook's smile thinned. "The Fleet Admiral himself… plus three God's Knights and CP0. The World Government isn't holding back. Shiki, stop floating those palaces—retreat immediately! Secure the spoils first!"
"Understood."
Though it burned him to abandon the gleaming palaces, Golden Lion Shiki knew the weight in Brook's voice meant no games. He immediately gathered his floating palace, slaves, Golden Island, and fleet, then pulled back.
Brook, with Redfield and the others, boarded the golden warship and streaked back toward the battlefield. Rocks could not be allowed to die here—Brook needed him alive to share the World Government's fury.
The golden ship ripped through the storm, bringing Brook's reinforcements.
On God Valley itself, Rocks clashed in madness. He roared, the Jibek Blade tearing through air and stone. Sengoku and Garp held him at bay, while Admiral Hoss staggered—his body battered, his soul already scarred by Brook's earlier strike. Even his awakened unicorn form faltered.
"Die! All of you!"
Rocks' fury boiled. The Valley of the Gods had yielded no Devil Fruits, only betrayal. Scorpion Dragon lay broken, his strongest cadre on the verge of death. Wizz bled poison. Was this his great plan's reward—loss, humiliation, and Brook's rise?
He snarled, black matter writhing around him. "Damn Brook!"
Just then, the golden ship descended, Brook's voice carrying across the battlefield.
"Rocks! The Fleet Admiral is here—retreat!"
"Hahaha! I'll drag you down even if it kills me!" Admiral Hoss screamed through blood. His body cracked under the strain, yet he charged. Too many Celestial Dragons had died. The Navy had been disgraced. He would not leave without taking one of these monsters with him.
Brook's eyes gleamed. Rocks could not be allowed to die here; the Hell Pirates alone weren't ready to shoulder the world's wrath. "Quick victory—then we leave!"
Brook dove with his cadres, aiming directly for the weakened Hoss. The double-winged unicorn's power would not slip from his grasp.
"Brook! Hoss is mine!" Rocks bellowed. Rage burned hotter—the moment Brook reached for what he wanted, Rocks forgot his gratitude.
The battlefield fractured. Sengoku and Garp lunged to protect Hoss, but Redfield and Newgate blocked them with sparks and thunder. Linlin rampaged through the navy ranks, tearing souls into her Homies.
"Hoss will be mine!" Rocks howled, his body wrapped in a storm of dark matter.
Brook frowned. Even he felt unease at that depthless shadow.
Then Rocks revealed the truth of his Dark-Dark powers. His darkness coiled around Hoss's unicorn body, chains of shadow binding tight.
"Brook, I don't know how you claim the powers of the dead… but today, you'll see how I take them for myself!" Rocks roared, tightening the black void.
Hoss screamed, his soul splitting. Sengoku and Garp hammered against the wall of titans holding them back, but could not break through.
"Admiral Hoss!!" they cried.
Darkness swallowed him whole. The unicorn's light flickered out. His power vanished into Rocks' hand—another Devil Fruit reborn.
But Brook was not content to watch. As Hoss's soul slipped free, Brook's blade caught it. The Seven-Star Demon Sword pulsed, drinking deep, dragging the admiral's soul into his dominion.
"Leave me the body, Rocks," Brook warned coldly. "Or I walk now—and let your crew face annihilation alone."
Rocks glared, clutching the fruit in his palm. At last, with a snort, he hurled Hoss's corpse to Brook.
Brook caught it, his grin hollow as death. "Yohoho… fair enough."
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