The air crackled with tension as Redfield and Whitebeard Newgate stormed forward, their eyes locked on the entrance to the facility. They had to crush this island's defenses before the admirals arrived!
A massive steel gate, a meter thick, stood in their way. Newgate's quake-powered fist obliterated it with a single blow, sending the wreckage flying inward, flattening and crushing a handful of hapless Marines.
Redfield transformed into a streak of lightning, zipping inside. The underground base lit up with electric arcs, his speed and killing efficiency outpacing even Newgate's raw power.
"Tom, Tiger, take the Fishman crew and scour the seas!" Brook barked. "Don't let a single rat slip away!"
Brook knew the World Government's tricks all too well. In the original story, scientists like Caesar and Vegapunk had escape plans down to a science—submarines and ships ready in hidden ports for a quick getaway.
These brainiacs were slippery, with backup plans on backup plans.
At Brook's command, Tom and Tiger led their elite Fishman recruits from Fishman Island into the ocean, diving in to hunt down any fleeing enemies.
Brook's forces were a patchwork of powerhouses: the Fishman crew from Fishman Island, the samurai warriors of Wano, the Seastone-armed sharpshooters from Skypiea, the "human mimic" baboon squad from Kuraigana Island, the Homies from Whole Cake Island, and his spectral ghost army.
...
As the battle intensified, the underground base descended into chaos. Scientists and researchers, unprepared for the assault, scrambled to gather their data and flee.
The test subjects—various races locked away as experiments—watched with growing hope. Their eyes gleamed brighter with every clash. Was someone really breaking in?
Lunarian Arber and his kin felt the flames on their black wings flare hotter, their battle spirit and hope reignited. The surviving Komajin, their blue-flame hair blazing, stirred restlessly.
The test subjects grew restless, their chains clanking furiously. Some roared in desperation, their cries echoing through the prison.
They burned for revenge. They craved freedom.
BOOM!
The steel gates of the breeding prison shattered as a figure crashed through. Vice Admiral Aishu staggered up from the rubble, his face twisted with rage.
"Redfield, you filthy remnant!" he spat. "Your family deserved its annihilation, and you, a lowly pirate who dared slay a Celestial Dragon, will pay!"
As the overseer of this shadowy research island, Aishu was the World Government's trusted marine, tasked with their darkest deeds—genocide included. He knew Redfield's bloody history all too well.
This island housed countless horrors: human experiments, poison gas tests, genetic modifications. The World Government banned such things publicly but secretly pushed their development. Exposure was unthinkable.
Aishu knew he was a dead man walking. His only hope was to activate the island's self-destruct mechanism, obliterating the evidence—and the Hell Pirates along with it.
He could've triggered it quietly and had a shot at success. But his fatal mistake was taunting Redfield, revealing his plan and igniting Redfield's fury.
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki Coiling swept through the breeding prison, knocking out countless test subjects. Only the strongest races withstood the pressure.
Those still conscious gaped as Aishu, the cruel overseer, was seized by the throat by a lightning-wreathed Redfield.
Before he could resist, Aishu was reduced to charred ash by a surge of electricity, crumbling into dust.
The sight stunned even the hotheaded Arodan and the brutal Aruyan. Too terrifying, too powerful!
Aishu, a vice admiral, was crushed without a chance to fight back. The test subjects stared in awe at the elegant nobleman in his pristine attire.
They didn't know why this aristocratic figure was storming Punk Hazard, but one thing was clear: their chance to escape had arrived.
...
"Redfield, don't let that scum's words get to you," Whitebeard Newgate said, his voice steady. "We've got Brook looking out for us."
Both Redfield and Newgate were orphans, bound by their shared lack of family. Brook was their anchor, the leader who always had their backs.
Shiki and Linlin, on the other hand, still had parents—parents they despised and refused to seek out.
Arber and the other test subjects watched as a towering figure with an overwhelming presence strode in. Their hopes soared; escape felt closer than ever. Arber's gaze locked onto these two titans, filled with anticipation.
If only they could shatter the prison bars and free the test subjects! Newgate, scanning the captives, felt a pang of pity.
Still, he held off acting until Brook arrived. As he surveyed the room, a thought crossed his mind: some of these captives might have the potential to join his crew, maybe even form a new division.
He could beat Shakky to the punch and claim the second-in-command spot of the Hell Pirates!
"Save me! I'll join your crew!"
"I'm strong! Pick me, pick me!"
The test subjects seized their chance, shouting desperately at Newgate. They could tell these were pirates, and as more swarmed in, their hopes solidified.
"Arber, we can't miss this!" Arodan whispered, his voice tense. Their cell was far at the back, and he feared the pirates wouldn't reach them.
Just then, Redfield and Newgate turned toward the entrance with deference, as if a greater figure was about to appear.
Arber's shock deepened. Who could command respect from these two monsters?
And who wielded Conqueror's Haki Coiling yet served under another?
The test subjects froze as a pale, gaunt man with a chilling aura stepped in, trailed by a horde of ghosts. The sight was downright bone-chilling!
Then, something even more terrifying happened. With a wave of his hand, a spectral green figure rose from Aishu's corpse.
Moments later, a solid ghost materialized, bearing the vice admiral's likeness. A shiver ran through the test subjects.
This man could bind and enslave souls!
The breeding prison fell silent. Were these pirates here to save them—or to harvest their souls?
...
But just as the captives' fear peaked, a blinding blaze erupted from the depths of the prison, drawing every eye in the room!
-----------
+400 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg