Brook grinned as he listened to what Shiki the Golden Lion had to say. Roger and Shiki had always been rivals. Shiki once tried to recruit Roger's crew and failed. Then he surrounded Roger's pirate fleet, only for most of his own fleet to be destroyed by a freak storm. That storm even left him with a rudder stuck in his head.
Later, after Roger was captured, Shiki stormed into Marineford alone to confront the Marines. He was ultimately taken down by Garp and Sengoku.
"Roger is your destined rival—and also Rocks' destined challenger. You two? Like a pair of bickering lovers. He's got real strength and talent. He might be the one who ushers in the next era!"
Brook's words sparked Shiki's temper, lighting a fire in him to defeat Roger and crush him once and for all.
"Brother Brook, you saying Roger could actually beat Rocks someday?"
Newgate was intrigued. Receiving such praise from Brook meant this rookie pirate couldn't be underestimated.
"Maybe. But with us here, the whole game changes. If Rocks is the man fated to rule this era, then Roger's the lead of the next one. And us? We're the turning point of fate."
Brook let out a wild laugh. With the rise of the Hell Pirates, nothing would follow the script anymore.
"Roger's that strong? He can climb that high that fast?"
Redfield began taking Roger seriously. He trusted Brook's instincts without question.
"Don't stress it. Roger's not obsessed with ruling. He's all about adventure—tracking down Poneglyphs, uncovering the lost history from 800 years ago, and searching for the final island. He's not chasing power. Besides, some of his crewmates are monsters—but so are we! Hell, we might even be stronger!"
Brook was confident. With the Hell Pirates' current lineup, they could suppress the Roger Pirates and not fall behind in the slightest.
"Hahahaha~ Brothr Brook, it's only natural we're stronger!"
Shiki roared with laughter. He could tell Brook respected Roger's crew but believed more in their own strength.
"He's into Poneglyphs too? That's great! Maybe we'll even end up as friends."
Redfield's eyes lit up. Finally, someone shared his interest in history. Shakky, Newgate, and even Brook didn't care much for that stuff. He'd never found someone with the same passion.
"Well, now that the Roger Pirates are watching our turf, we can shift focus to handling the Siren Pirates. Let's track down that Pocket Fruit user while things are still calm."
Brook quickly issued his command, launching a full-scale investigation into this unique ability user. At the same time, he planned to dip into the underground world and support one or two of the local forces.
As the orders rolled out, everyone got to work. Some trained, some handled logistics.
Shakky and Stussy were bulk-buying platinum on the open market. The four elite fighters went to train. Crocus, the ship's doctor, was studying the infamous toxins of the Siren Pirates' poison master.
Sniper Hiruba, frustrated by his low presence lately, was working hard to level up. He was determined to back up the captain next time, with Sea Prism Stone bullets ready to snipe David Kyons twice over.
Shipwright Tom had already started laying down a test network of Sea Trains between islands. He'd completed a circular train line connecting Sky Island and Baron Island, and the results were solid.
Now that things had calmed, he began construction of a Sea Train line between Bristol Island and Doragonzo Island to help both islands prosper.
…
According to Antonio's research and insider info from Moore Thomas, there were now three major factions dominating the underground transport industry: an old shipping family and two rising organizations.
The Umi Family (Old Guard)
The New World Dispatch Company (Emerging)
The World Transport Company (Emerging)
Their leaders were all smart, ruthless, and powerful.
Of the three, the New World Dispatch Company was particularly unique. It had given up on the Grand Line and the Four Seas entirely, focusing all operations in the New World. The result? Speed, efficiency, and an explosive rise in market share.
The Pocket Fruit user was a key player in this company—one of the founders, no less. And his older brother acted as the company's military arm.
"Damn, just a Devil Fruit user managed to start a whole company and make it boom this fast? This guy's no joke."
Brook studied the profile of Maxway, the company boss, and Bra Kara, the Pocket Fruit user.
But after some analysis, Brook came to a conclusion: the company was flashy but lacked roots. It had abandoned key trade zones in the Grand Line and Four Seas. Its growth was capped. It wasn't worth the Hell Pirates' backing.
So the only logical move was to crush it. Capture the Pocket Fruit user and bring him under their control. That would leave just the other two companies to carve up the New World's trade—and one of them would become the Hell Pirates' partner.
Now it all depended on their choice. Their answer would shape the Hell Pirates' next move—ally or enemy, support or destruction. Brook was going to make damn sure there was only one king in the sea transport business.
"Antonio, you and More Thomas—get me the Den Den Mushi numbers of the Umi Family and the World Transport Company execs. I want to see what they'll choose."
Brook had made his choice. Any force that accepted their offer would thrive. Those who refused? They'd face the Hell Pirates' wrath.
…
A hidden island deep in the New World.
As a major player in the underground scene, the Umi Family never made their base public. Their official HQ was just for show.
In reality, they had multiple strongholds. As the saying goes: a cunning rabbit has three burrows. These guys were sharp. Some even moved their bases frequently to avoid detection.
Inside a foggy conference room, the mood was heavy.
"Brother, we've lost another slice of our New World market. The Grand Line and Four Seas are also getting hit. The situation's getting ugly."
Umina, dressed in a black suit, looked grim as he reported to the family head. He was clearly ready to strike back at the two rising threats.
The Umi family had three brothers. The eldest, Ummid, was the family head and managed the New World business. The second, Umile, handled Grand Line operations. The youngest, Umina, oversaw the Four Seas.
"Yeah, big bro, what if we just take out Maxway? Or throw some berries at the Dracula Family to hire a top assassin? Get it done clean."
Umile could feel the threat growing. That's how underground business worked—if one side grew, the other shrank. Once a company secured a market share, they'd entrench themselves, get protection from clients, or start transporting the kind of cargo no one wanted to talk about—dangerous, illegal, but insanely profitable.
------------
After hearing the suggestions from his two younger brothers, the eldest brother, Umid, said nothing and tossed out the bounty posters of each member of the Hell Pirates.
"Brook, the captain of the Hell Pirates, called me. He asked if I wanted to accept his help. If not, I could continue to support the World Transport Company."
The cigar between Umid's lips trembled slightly. Was the quasi-overlord Brook getting involved in the underworld now?
The former dominant pirate crews never had much interest in monopolizing the dark trades, but the Diger Pirates went all in, forming their own pirate transport fleet and doing business openly—way bigger than anyone else.
Still, plenty of factions and pirate groups refused to cooperate with the Diger Pirates, mostly because they abused their power, bullied clients, and sometimes even robbed valuable goods.
This allowed the underground black market to survive. The fact that the Ice Demon Pirates and the Rocks Pirates didn't care much about trade also gave the dark forces room to grow.
Now, with massive changes sweeping the New World, the timing couldn't be better for underground groups to flourish. The two current overlords were locked in battle, focusing all their attention on each other. A lot of logistics were now handled by underground transport networks.
"Brother, the underground world has always remained neutral. Once you side with a dominant force, you'll be dragged into their wars. Our fate would be tied to theirs. That's not good for the family legacy. These top pirate groups don't last long compared to us."
The third brother, Umina, immediately objected. He believed that overlords were temporary—sooner or later, they'd be replaced or wiped out. He didn't want the Umi family buried with them.
Besides, the Hell Pirates weren't even a dominant force yet. If they were going to align with anyone, it should be the strongest—like the Rocks Pirates.
"That's right, Big Brother. Look at the Dark News Agency! Kandor thought he was invincible because he accepted protection from the Diger Pirates and went into hiding. But Rocks crushed his entire base!"
The second brother, Umile, was also firmly against joining any faction. Their family was already powerful, with countless hidden branches. They didn't need anyone's protection.
"He said he won't expose our true relationship. He'll even take the initiative to attack the New World Dispatch Company."
Umid took a long puff from his cigar, eyes deep as he stared into the darkness. If they didn't align with Brook, they'd become his target—and that was a major problem for businessmen like them.
"So, Brook wants to make us a force he supports in the shadows? If that gets exposed, we'll be dragged into it too!"
"They can fly. They won't be taken out so easily. And they're young and aggressive. If we refuse, they'll just attack us and support the World Transport Company instead."
Umid sighed. If they were already the leading company, they could negotiate terms, maybe even ban Brook's group or refuse to do business with them. But they were still competing with two other powers for market dominance.
"Brother, are you seriously thinking about accepting support from the Hell Pirates?!"
Umina stood up, visibly agitated, still disagreeing with the idea. He believed it would put the Umi family at unnecessary risk.
"They have Sky Island."
That one sentence from Umid silenced the room. He continued calmly.
"Brook will guarantee our safety and allow our people onto Sky Island."
He looked around.
"Vote now. Choose to secretly align with the Hell Pirates… or be prepared to face their wrath."
Though he was the family head, Umid left this life-or-death decision to his brothers as well.
Umid raised his hand first, agreeing to align with the Hell Pirates. After struggling for a long time, the other two finally gave in and supported the decision.
"Very well. We don't know yet if this decision is right or wrong, but time will tell. Get ready to take over the New World Dispatch Company's market share. We can't let the World Transport Company benefit from this!"
Umid responded to Brook, letting him know they would also act against the New World Dispatch Company. All they had to do was take back the market in time.
---
Sky Island – Baron Island
"Yohohoho~ As expected, family-run organizations fear death more—but they're also more stable. That Kawase Posha, the president of the World Transport Company, sure is arrogant!"
Brook wasn't sure if some unknown force was backing Posha or if he was just that bold.
Either way, it helped Brook make a decision.
The Umi family… they truly deserved to be one of the six underground emperors in the future. The true kings of shipping!
With the Umi family and Moore Thomas both cooperating, they finally pinpointed the location of Bra Kara—the user of the Pocket-Pocket Fruit. If that didn't work, Brook planned to bait him in with a massive shipment.
However, it seemed the New World Dispatch Company usually had Bra Kara handle only the transport side of things. He didn't interact with customers, which made it harder to track him directly.
Golden Island was massive, so this time they dispatched the golden flying ship erebus. A single Pocket-Pocket Fruit user wasn't a problem—the real issue was locating the elusive Manxway.
This guy moved around constantly and only appeared when enemies attacked. The rest of the time, he ran the company in secret.
At a non-affiliated kingdom in the New World, Bra Kara's task was to smuggle a batch of arms into the country. He just had to get the goods to a designated location and let the buyer come pick them up.
Since it was a big shipment, he followed the receiving team and secretly loaded all the cargo into his body's storage space. He had developed the Pocket-Pocket Fruit into a storage dimension rivaling the Castle-Castle Fruit.
After receiving the shipment, they set off. But at one stop, Bra Kara switched to a different ship before continuing to the target nation.
Brook's crew had already staked out the entire route. They even knew where Bra Kara would deliver and receive goods.
As soon as the disguised merchant ship neared its destination, Redfield activated his Den Den Mushi signal-jamming birdcage—instantly trapping the ship inside!
The crew tried to call for help but failed. Bra Kara's face darkened. Though he was wearing a disguise, he knew he was screwed.
Then he saw it—the golden spaceship approaching.
There was no doubt now: it was the Hell Pirates, the infamous quasi-overlord crew.
Even with a bounty of 200 or 300 million berries, it wouldn't make a damn difference here.
"…Brother Manxway, looks like I won't be able to do anything more for you."
Bra Kara sighed, hoping his disguise might still be of some use. But considering how thoroughly they prepared, he knew escape was impossible.
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