Brook couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the self-doubting Stussy. The Hell Pirates had just welcomed another talent sent by the World Government.
"Stussy, I don't know what kind of hell the Celestial Dragons put you through to make you hate them so much, but that doesn't matter anymore. We're partners now. From here on, we live for freedom! Forget the painful past!"
His words made Shakky and the others admire Brook's cunning. He had seamlessly twisted the situation into a perfect excuse for Stussy to defect, making her betrayal seem natural. It was a masterstroke of manipulation.
Brook was truly a tactician, always thinking three steps ahead before making a move. Thankfully, he was their captain and not their enemy.
Looking at Brook's outstretched hand, Stussy accepted her new identity—someone persecuted by the Celestial Dragons, who escaped from CP, lost her memory, and became a pirate.
With Redfield's approving nod, Brook smiled in satisfaction at their newest crew member.
"Welcome, Stussy! From now on, you're officially part of the Hell Pirates!"
Brook's declaration was met with cheers. Shakky, Linlin, and the others grabbed Stussy's hands, celebrating her arrival. Meanwhile, Brook discreetly handed a Den Den Mushi he had confiscated from Stussy over to Antonio.
While Redfield took care of the remaining forces of the Ewald Pirates on the island, Antonio began searching for all Den Den Mushi connected to outside forces, cutting off external communications.
Once everything was in place, Redfield deactivated the island's signal blockade, and Brook immediately called Moore, instructing him to send some members of the New World News Agency over.
At the same time, Shakky started training Stussy in the Navy's Rokuogan (Six Powers), refining her Life Return techniques and advanced combat moves. This helped Stussy integrate with the crew faster.
In Antonio's Prism Gate Den Den Mushi Room, under Brook's direction, he mimicked Captain Goth's voice to report back to the Ewald Pirates, claiming that everything was under control. He also imitated Stussy's voice to report to CP, saying the Hell Pirates had yet to appear.
Additionally, they spread false intel that the rumors about a Sky Island above Doragonzo Island were likely false and that the Hell Pirates may have gone elsewhere in search of it. CP's response was simple—Stussy was ordered to lie low for another month. If there was still no news by then, she was to withdraw and await new orders.
With the outside world in the dark, the Hell Pirates strengthened their foothold on Doragonzo Island. They subdued the pirate crews and locals, establishing a news agency branch and a supply procurement base to support their operations.
Meanwhile, the Rocks Pirates, never ones to sit idle, launched another wave of attacks.
Previously, the Overlord Candidate pirate groups had roamed freely without claiming territories, making them hard to track. But now that they had seized lands, they had effectively painted targets on their backs.
To Rocks, this was an open invitation to crush them.
It was much like how Kaido, the King of Beasts, later destroyed the alliance of Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo with ease, showing the vast gap between a true overlord and upstart supernovas.
Rocks stormed through their territories. The Evil Monk Urdi refused to surrender and was captured. The Karnz Brothers chose to submit and joined the Rocks Pirates. Only Eric Dane of the King Pirates was cunning enough to escape, retreating with a hefty sum of treasure.
Rocks' ruthless attack forced the three remaining pseudo-overlords to tighten their defenses, uniting to fend off future invasions.
Confident in his power, Rocks reached out to Diger, hoping to forge an alliance to crush the three pseudo-overlords and restore the balance of power in the New World.
However, to his shock, Diger did the opposite—he allied with the pseudo-overlords to wage war against Rocks.
Facing the combined might of four powerful pirate crews, the Rocks Pirates suffered heavy losses. Rocks himself barely avoided injury, saved only by the fact that his enemies were wary of each other and held back.
Forced to retreat, Rocks withdrew to Hachinosu (Pirate Island) to regroup.
Seeing the growing resistance against him, Rocks realized his greatest weakness—his lack of absolute power.
If he wanted to reign supreme, he couldn't just be stronger than Diger. He had to be powerful enough to single-handedly suppress Diger and all three pseudo-overlords at once!
Determined to break this deadlock, Rocks locked himself away and began a brutal training regimen to push his strength beyond its limits.
Thus, the New World saw an uneasy peace for half a month as everyone silently prepared for the next battle.
Elsewhere, Golden Lion Shiki and his crew were still lost at sea, wandering aimlessly without a navigator.
They had been searching for Doragonzo Island for weeks but couldn't find it.
Brook, growing impatient, finally sent a permanent Log Pose via the Seagull News Agency.
With the Log Pose in hand, Shiki the Golden Lion finally arrived at Doragonzo Island!
As soon as his ship entered the island's waters, Antonio's surveillance network picked up his Den Den Mushi signal. Immediately, the Hell Pirates prepared for their new arrival.
Everyone in the crew was aware of Shiki's legend—the infamous Flying Pirate and a former top Overlord Candidate, once ranked alongside Redfield and Whitebeard.
Shakky and Antonio, however, were more impressed by Brook's long-term planning.
They had witnessed the rise of the Den Den Mushi intelligence network firsthand and knew that the very first Den Den Mushi Brook sent out was given to none other than Shiki the Golden Lion himself.
Even though they had stayed out of Brook's secret dealings, they never expected that he had been orchestrating Shiki's recruitment from the very beginning.
Brook's insane foresight left them in awe.
"Captain Brook," Shakky grinned, "With Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, getting to Sky Island just became a whole lot easier!"
Brook had been forcing Redfield to use the Golden Ark Maxim to haul supplies up to Sky Island—including dirt—which was a ridiculous waste of a legendary warship's abilities.
"Captain, I heard that Shiki has also awakened Conqueror's Haki," Redfield spoke up. "Are you really sure he'll willingly join us?"
Having awakened his own Conqueror's Haki under Brook's guidance, Redfield knew firsthand that Brook's influence was terrifying. He was bound to Brook by fate and would never betray him.
But Shiki?
A man of such ambition, wielding Conqueror's Haki… would he really submit?
Brook just smirked, his usual carefree laugh carrying a hint of mischief.
"Leave that to me."
-----
Brook also knew that those who had awakened Conqueror's Haki rarely ever truly submitted to anyone again. If their belief in their Haki was shattered, it would stop growing or even degenerate entirely.
However, there were exceptions—Ace, the son of the Pirate King, was one of them. Despite awakening Conqueror's Haki, he joined the Whitebeard Pirates and genuinely submitted to Whitebeard.
His dream of surpassing Roger, escaping his father's shadow, and becoming the Pirate King was shattered. The Ace who once competed with Luffy for that title was gone.
Instead, he became Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates, devoted to helping Whitebeard become King of the Seas, believing only in Whitebeard's strength. Under Whitebeard's fatherly love, Ace's Haki grew even stronger.
Those who awakened Conqueror's Haki under a captain's guidance were often fiercely loyal—like Rayleigh's reverence for Roger and Katakuri's unwavering devotion to the Charlotte family.
Of course, there were exceptions. Yamato, despite being Kaido's child, claimed to have inherited Kozuki Oden's will, turning against her own father. To Kaido, she was nothing but a leaky black jacket.
Even Sengoku, a man of the Navy, awakened his Conqueror's Haki through his belief in the Marines' absolute justice and the system of obedience.
It was clear—if one's Conqueror's Haki belief clashed with their actions, their Haki would wither. But if their belief was tied to loyalty toward a person or cause, their Haki would only grow stronger, even without being the ultimate ruler.
---
"Strength, shared interests, and emotional bonds make people inseparable," Brook muttered with a mischievous grin. "Once you're part of us, it won't be so easy to leave. Yohoho~!"
Brook knew he had to understand Shiki's belief in Haki first. If Shiki's Conqueror's Haki was driven by his desire to dominate the world, then forcing him to submit was pointless.
The best he could do in that case was to form an alliance or cooperative relationship. Should he let Memory Seahorse take action?
No, no, no. That would be a complete waste of Shiki's potential and talent. Besides, Brook didn't have time to let Golden Lion re-cultivate his Float-Float Fruit abilities.
More importantly, if Shiki fled, the Hell Pirates would struggle to stop him. If things went south, Shiki could end up joining the Overlord Alliance and turning into a massive threat.
Brook couldn't afford to lose this golden opportunity. Since Shiki had willingly come to him, it meant that their bond was still strong. His favorability was high—this was his chance.
As Shiki's small pirate ship approached, Brook came up with a bold idea to secure their bond: a sworn brotherhood ceremony.
Just like Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, they could become sworn brothers, forging an unbreakable bond. It wouldn't weaken their Haki—if anything, it would make their connection even stronger.
With dozens of sworn brothers, Brook could create his own version of the Eighteen Layers of Hell. In the current pirate era, there was no Pirate King title yet.
Brook would become the hidden mastermind behind the future intelligence giant, quietly pulling the strings with Moore at his side.
---
"Brook!"
Shiki the Golden Lion flew down from his ship, gazing at Brook with complicated emotions. He didn't know what to say. He even regretted coming, feeling awkward and conflicted.
"Shiki, don't act so shy!" Brook laughed heartily. "From now on, we're brothers! Let me introduce you to the crew!"
With a grin, Brook enthusiastically introduced Shiki to his brothers and sisters—the powerful Redfield, the unstoppable Charlotte Linlin, the mighty Edward Newgate, and the rest.
To celebrate, their chef prepared a lavish feast, combining delicacies from both worlds.
For the Golden Lion and Scaredo, it was the first time in months they had eaten anything so delicious, bringing tears to their eyes.
Remembering their recent hardships, they each ate two extra bowls.
---
"Shiki, what's your dream?"
After the feast, Brook finally asked the question he had been waiting for.
Shiki fell silent, but as a man who had awakened Conqueror's Haki, he didn't shy away from it.
"I want to dominate the New World—like a Lion King—and become its overlord!"
At this point, Shiki knew nothing about Poneglyphs or Ancient Weapons. There was no One Piece yet, so becoming the New World's overlord was the ultimate dream.
Brook's eyes narrowed.
"Shiki… your Conqueror's Haki awakened because you wanted to become the overlord of the New World, right?"
The Golden Lion nodded, recalling the time he was nearly devoured by Sea Kings near Fish-Man Island.
Dying there, without ever conquering the New World, was unacceptable.
It was in that moment of desperation that his Haki erupted, terrifying the Sea Kings and allowing him to escape.
"Shiki," Brook said firmly, placing a large barrel of wine between them. "Become my brother."
"I will help you train Redfield, Linlin, Newgate, and the others—until we are all overlords of the New World!"
Brook took a knife, sliced his palm, and let a few drops of dark blue blood fall into the wine barrel.
"Today, I abandon my role as captain," Brook declared passionately. "Let us drink this sworn brotherhood wine! From this moment on, we are brothers and sisters, through thick and thin!"
With an excited grin, Redfield was the first to step forward, slicing his palm and letting his blood mix into the wine.
One by one, everyone followed suit—letting their blood drip into the wine, creating a bond that would never be broken.
Finally, Golden Lion Shiki, his fighting spirit ignited, cut his palm and added his blood to the mix.
Brook shook the blood wine and personally poured a glass for each crew member.
The crew raised their glasses and drank deeply, feeling the burn of blood and wine bonding them together.
"From now on," Brook declared, raising his glass, "we are a family bound by blood. Let us become like dragons, awaken Conqueror's Haki, and reign over the New World!"
"Cheers!!"
Everyone raised their glasses, drinking with fervor.
Brook suddenly slammed his glass down with a grin, and the crew followed, smashing their glasses in unison.
In that moment, they felt invincible.
---
"From now on, don't be so formal!" Brook grinned. "I'm older than all of you—so you call me big brother from now on!"
Laughter filled the hall as calls of 'big brother' echoed throughout the ship—even Golden Lion Shiki shouted it, making Brook's grin widen.
Captain or big brother—it didn't matter.
Brook had only one goal: to gather all the monsters of the sea around him, forming a family bound by both interests and emotion.
He was no longer just building a pirate crew—he was forging a dynasty.
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