A fleet of ships sailed under the golden glow of an island in the distance, their sails snapping in the wind.
"Yohoho! Brook, my man, looks like our plan's been sniffed out. Devo's already tipped off Punk Hazard's head honcho. You still wanna push forward?"
Antonio grinned, having easily intercepted Admiral Devo's Den Den Mushi call. Devo was still under Silva's watchful Glare-Glare Fruit, every move tracked.
"What's a warning gonna do? This time, we're letting Shiki haul all of Punk Hazard—island, people, and all—right out of there! Hiding behind defenses won't save them!" Brook declared, his skeletal frame practically vibrating with battle lust.
"We're gearing up for a real brawl. We'll send Devo running, and if Kong shows up to back him, we'll hold off both of them until Shiki floats that island away!"
Brook's fighting spirit blazed. After absorbing the souls of heavyweights like Vesper, Saracha, and Dawei, he hadn't unleashed his full power in ages. This was his chance to flex his might. No more running from Kong like last time! His four top fighters, now wielding Conqueror's Haki Coiling, were itching for a fight too.
As for Charlotte Linlin, her pregnancy kept her out of the fray, but Brook wasn't sidelining her entirely. She could still command an army of Homies from the rear, including her three elite ones, unleashing chaos without stepping foot on the battlefield.
"Jahaha! My Float-Float Fruit's stronger than ever—it won't take long to move that island!" Shiki bellowed. "But making me play delivery boy while you lot hog the fight? That's no fun! I'm taking on an admiral too!"
His bounty lagged just a few tens of millions behind Redfield and Newgate, and that gap gnawed at him. He needed this fight to reclaim his pride.
"Then let's make it a show!" Brook roared, his voice brimming with defiance. "We'll prove the Hell Pirates aren't just some knockoff Rocks Pirates. We'll take on two admirals at once and show the world who's boss!"
The world scoffed at the Hell Pirates, calling Brook a schemer who backstabbed allies like Saracha and Vesper to climb the ranks. Some pirates even whispered that the Hell Pirates' overlord status was unearned, handed to them by Rocks or overshadowed by Roger's exploits. They had no standout victories to their name—only Dawei's defeat, marred by Kong's counterattack and Roger's role in capturing Saracha.
Brook just smirked at the rumors. Under his rule, no pirate crew dared openly challenge the Hell Pirates. Rivals either joined his ranks or the Pirate Guild. Their strength wasn't just talk—it was forged in battle.
But the naysayers had a point: the Hell Pirates lacked a defining victory. Redfield, Shiki, and the others were sick of the whispers. It was time to shut them up.
"The Hell Pirates will be the greatest!" Brook vowed. "Full speed to Punk Hazard! We'll seize it, crush the opposition, and take on those admirals!"
Qilin Lion roared, channeling his Wind-Wind Fruit to propel the airship fleet faster through the skies.
...
On Punk Hazard, the secret research island, chaos brewed.
Vice Admiral Aishu, the island's head of security, received Admiral Devo's warning and sprang into action. He recalled all personnel handling supplies to the underground base, locking the facility down. From the outside, Punk Hazard looked like any ordinary island.
Devo wasn't sure if the Hell Pirates had pinpointed Punk Hazard, so evacuating the scientists wasn't an option yet. The island's priceless equipment and experimental materials couldn't be moved easily either.
Just in case, Aishu hustled the most critical scientists onto a submarine, ready to whisk them away with key research if things went wrong.
If the Hell Pirates were indeed targeting Punk Hazard, Devo would fight tooth and nail to protect it. He'd already called in Kong for backup, redirecting him from other duties. They couldn't afford to lose this island.
Elsewhere, Admiral Aokiba, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr were left to hold the line against Rocks. Once the Hell Pirates were driven from Punk Hazard's waters, Kong could swing back to support them. For now, Devo and Kong had one job: protect the research island at all costs.
...
Deep in Punk Hazard's underground base, sprawling research labs buzzed with activity.
In a massive biology lab, rare animals and races were caged, ready for experiments. Lunarians with white hair, brown skin, and blazing black wings; Three-Eye Tribe members with a third eye on their foreheads; with blue-flame hair; Longarm Tribe with triple-jointed arms; Snakeneck Tribe with elongated necks; Longleg Tribe with towering legs; and even Fishmen, Merfolk, Dwarves, and Giants. If it existed in the world, Punk Hazard had it locked up—a collection rivaling even Charlotte Linlin's future Totto Land.
"Dr. Sakura, you can't keep pushing the Lunarians like this!" a cone-faced male researcher snapped at a scientist with a center-parted haircut. "You're gonna wipe them out, and we'll have no test subjects left! I need these last four to breed for more material!"
"Pipe down, Kobokan!" Dr. Sakura shot back, kicking the whining researcher out of the lab. "You're just a rookie assistant. Get back to your Lab 38 and tinker with your lousy cannon bombs! You think you can steal my tech and patents? Not a chance!"
Kobokan was a chronic idea-thief, always sniffing around others' projects, filing his own research claims, and passing them off as original. If he weren't the illegitimate son of Professor Whitewing, Sakura would've booted him off Punk Hazard long ago. Talentless hack!
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