The massive green figure in the distance streaked closer, its oppressive aura making even Rocks and Brook tense. For Rocks—already wounded—the pressure was suffocating.
Not wasting a second, Rocks grabbed the Devil Fruit of the fallen Admiral and forced it down the throat of his dying first cadre, the martial monk Scorpion Dragon.
Brook's eyes narrowed with jealousy. For a moment, he almost lunged to snatch the Mythical Zoan for himself.
Moments after devouring the fruit, the Scorpion Dragon's ruined body glowed with holy white light. Bones snapped back into place, flesh knit together, and the man rose, whole once more. His first steps were ravenous—tearing chunks of flesh from fallen navy to replenish his strength.
The sky darkened further as the colossal serpent god descended. Admiral Kukulkan reverted to human form, his wings folding as he landed with a quake. Behind him stood the three God's Knights and the masked CP0 commander.
But their arrival was too late. The battlefield reeked of disaster: two admirals fallen, two candidates gone.
"Fleet Admiral … Admiral Hoss has fallen! Bloody Braver is dead as well!" Sengoku, golden and battered, collapsed in tears before Kukulkan. Other commanders wept openly. It was the Navy's bloodiest defeat in eight centuries.
"I will avenge them," Kukulkan thundered. His aura surged, shaking earth and sea. The three Knights and CP0 commander stared at the bloodied corpses in Celestial Dragon garb.
The Celestial Dragon princes—slaughtered. Over a dozen royal lives lost. Their eyes went blood-red with fury. Unforgivable. Pirates would drown in their rage.
"Yohoho! Rocks, can you still fight?" Brook called. "These men aren't like the others. If you falter, I'll cut my losses and escape—you'll be on your own!"
Rocks cursed, half in fear, half in rage. "Damn you! If you'd helped earlier instead of chasing that Youge fool, we'd be long gone!" His body trembled with weakness, his power diminished. He hated admitting his uncertainty.
Brook's smile turned sly. "Then seize the moment." He produced a handful of red-and-white capsules, tossing them to Rocks, Scorpion Dragon, Wang Zhi, Wizz, and the others.
"These are ES holy medicines—powerful enhancers. Take them, and you'll feel new strength."
In truth, Brook had no intention of handing them Blood Crystal Dandelions, the true healing treasures. Why give potential enemies salvation? No—what he offered were ES killer pills, stimulants that burned away lifespan in exchange for raw power. He even dressed them as "holy medicine," his lies smooth as silk.
The Monkey King Wizz's eyes lit up. He'd used ES pills before. The surge of strength was intoxicating, though the aftermath was agony. But now, facing certain death, what did side effects matter? Grateful for Brook's generosity, he swallowed two immediately.
His eyes blazed red. Power exploded from his frame, driving him into the full beast form of the Titan Giant Ape.
"Hahahaha! Yes—yes! That's it!" he roared, shaking the battlefield. "I'll tear down that woman and crush her for daring to humiliate me!"
Brook's grin widened. "Yohoho… Brother Wizz, such determination! Rocks, make your men use their potential. This fight will be blood for blood!"
Seeing the transformation, Scorpion Dragon hesitated only a heartbeat before swallowing one himself. Energy surged through his veins, his new Zoan awakening in harmony with the drug. His wounds sealed, his muscles swelled.
"Hahaha! Incredible!" Scorpion Dragon bellowed. He unleashed the unicorn's holy light across his body, healing what remained. Within moments he was combat-ready once more, and hungry to prove himself worthy of the mythic power he'd stolen.
The navy commanders glared with pure hatred. To see their sacred admiral's gift defiled, wielded by a pirate—unforgivable.
The Rocks cadres stared at the red-and-white pills in their hands, grimaced, and swallowed. Instantly their bodies convulsed as strength flooded them, eyes glowing unnaturally.
"Hahaha! My power's back!" Rocks himself bellowed. "Brook, you devil—you had this all along? Next time, give me a few hundred of these!"
He had no idea. The pills drained years of life, not mere days of fatigue. A few hundred would wither him into an old husk before long. But Rocks, blinded by greed, only saw restored strength.
The Hell Pirates controlled the black market tightly, rationing ES drugs so no one force could stockpile more than ten. By the time the world discovered their true price—shortened lifespans—the Hell Pirates would be too strong to touch.
Brook's laugh was hollow as bone. "Yohoho… of course! These are the highest-grade ES holy medicines. The only drawback? Fatigue. A bargain at one hundred million berries each."
"One hundred million? You bastard, why not just rob me outright!" Rocks snarled, his veins bulging.
------------
This was Rocks' mistake. He should have seized it himself.
What did he know about capital plunder or hunger marketing? Brook had hyped every ES pill to astronomical prices—whether they were the "holy medicine" with mild drawbacks or the deadly version with crippling side effects. To Rocks, it was just another bitter pill swallowed in ignorance.
Brook didn't bother bargaining. Whether Rocks chose to believe or not was irrelevant. After today's plunder of God Valley, the Hell Pirates were flush with wealth. And Rocks? He had money too—if he lived long enough to spend it.
"Enough nonsense. Time to assign opponents," Brook said coolly. "Captain Rocks, strongest man in the world—you'll take the Navy's Fleet Admiral. I'll even throw in a God Knight to sweeten the deal."
He handed the most difficult opponent, Kukulkan, straight to Rocks without hesitation.
"We're breaking out. Don't drag this into a drawn-out war," Brook warned. "If you die here, don't blame anyone but yourself."
Brook still had his golden ship as a lifeline. The Hell Pirates were lending Rocks a hand, but if the tide turned, Brook would not hesitate to abandon him.
"You've still got an ES pill left. Don't be stingy when the moment comes," Brook added slyly. He even handed another capsule to Monkey King Wizz, who gratefully accepted. The gesture nearly moved the giant ape to tears. He vowed in his heart to repay the Hell Pirates someday.
By now, Brook knew Shiki had already flown far with the main force and the spoils. It was time to ignite the breakout battle.
The navy understood the situation too. They knew of Rocks' ability to plunder Devil Fruits, and they had measured the day's losses: countless Celestial Dragons slain, admirals and candidates dead or captured. The hatred was irreconcilable. The Navy would annihilate both overlord crews or die trying.
Thus the God Valley War escalated once again. The Hell Pirates and Rocks Pirates clashed with the reinforcements of Marine Headquarters—this time with the Fleet Admiral himself, three God's Knights, and the CP0 Commander at the front.
Rocks, forced to the center, would lead the charge. The Hell Pirates would assist in holding the line for his retreat.
"Hahaha! Brook, don't think you can sit idle. Two Knights of God—you take them!" Rocks barked, pushing the pressure back onto him.
"Yohoho! Fine. I wanted to test my limits anyway," Brook replied, smiling coldly. He placed Hoss' corpse upon Hera, sending the somersault cloud to deliver it safely to the golden ship.
"Scorpion Dragon and Redfield, deal with CP0. Newgate, Linlin, and Wang Zhi—you handle Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr!" Brook's voice carried over the battlefield, assigning targets like a general on campaign. "The rest—Wizz, Silver Axe, John, the Karns brothers, World, Woonan—you hold off the vice admirals and Lieutenant!"
"No! Return Admiral Hoss's body!" Garp roared, leaping into the sky with Moonwalk. His fist crackled with haki, only to be intercepted by a little giant wielding a massive naginata.
"Gurarara! Iron Fist Garp—let's fight properly!" Whitebeard Newgate's eyes gleamed. Here was a worthy opponent.
"Damn brat—get out of my way!" Garp snarled. His fists, hardened to black and violet, struck with such force they stung even against a supreme-grade blade wrapped in conqueror's haki. He realized with a grim expression: this young pirate was Roger's equal—and perhaps stronger in sheer might.
"Beat me, and you pass," Newgate grinned, clashing with him in a storm of air-shattering blows.
Elsewhere, Linlin hurled herself at Sengoku, greed gleaming in her eyes. An injured mythical beast user was ripe prey—if she could devour his power, she could pass it on to her bloodline.
Wang Zhi once more locked blades with Zephyr, sparks flying. Other cadres pressed the navy hard, forcing their way toward escape.
Redfield and Scorpion Dragon cornered the CP0 leader, but their lack of teamwork nearly cost them. Only when Redfield took the lead did the tide balance, their combined force stalling the masked assassin.
Rocks himself lunged at Kukulkan, hungry for the Quetzalcoatl's divine power. The Fleet Admiral met him head-on, fighting alongside a God Knight. Their combined strength cracked the heavens, but Rocks, fueled by ES, laughed at their pressure.
The remaining two God Knights turned their hate-filled eyes on Brook. They knew it was he who had orchestrated the Celestial Dragons' slaughter.
"Yohoho… from the look in your eyes, you truly want me dead," Brook said. "Two against one? Hardly heroic. Dare you face me one-on-one?"
"You are not worthy of a duel," one knight spat. "We'll kill you quickly and avenge His Highness."
Brook chuckled darkly. "One-on-one… one-on-one… a dozen one-on-ones, if you like!"
He thrust out his hand. A massive ghost gate creaked open, and from its depths marched phantoms clad in haki-tinged armor.
Admiral Hoss. Candidate Braver. Overlords Diger Sparrow, David Kyons, Saracha… more than a dozen infamous souls bound to his will.
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