Hearing Bloodhand Braille's question, Golden Buddha Sengoku didn't bother showing off his smarts. There were bigger problems to tackle.
"Brook's a pirate who prefers steady growth. If we can keep him calm, he won't openly invade allied nations. He's already reached out through the Underworld, offering to let us ransom captured Marines. That suggests he's not looking to burn bridges with the Navy completely."
Sengoku laid it out plainly. Since Brook, the New World's dominant force, was offering a way out, striking some kind of deal could maintain stability and avoid further conflict. No need for endless battles or facing the Hell Pirates' terrifying, near-catastrophic attacks.
"You're suggesting we coexist with Brook? That's nonsense, Sengoku! The Navy doesn't negotiate with pirates!"
A hawkish vice admiral slammed the table, eyes blazing. His unit had taken heavy losses fighting the Hell Pirates, and he wasn't about to let it slide.
"What, then? Let Brook execute every captured Marine?"
Sengoku's face was stone-cold.
"If you're so tough, why don't you storm the Hell Pirates' turf and take out Brook yourself?"
"The Celestial Dragons won't make this easy," Kong interjected. Ransoming captives was one thing—some Belly could cover that—but any cooperation with the Hell Pirates? Impossible. Brook and Redfield had already killed a Celestial Dragon, Saint Rosward, after all.
The room fell silent.
"Sengoku, handle the negotiations with the Hell Pirates for the captives' release. We'll deal with the rest later," Admiral Devo said, exasperated. What started as a strategy session to counter the Hell Pirates had somehow turned into talks of ransoms and secret deals.
"The World Government hasn't given clear orders either," Admiral Aokiba added. "They've waived Prodence Kingdom's Heavenly Tribute for a year and tasked us with assessing the Hell Pirates' true strength to update their bounties and wanted posters."
...
Kong, Devo, and the others dove into analyzing the Hell Pirates' combat prowess, abilities, and weaknesses. As the discussion unfolded, new bounties were finalized. Seeing the staggering figures, admirals and vice admirals alike sat in stunned silence. These numbers were unreal.
"I hate to admit it, but they've gotten stupidly strong," Devo said grimly, holding the finalized bounty list. "They've all mastered Conqueror's Haki Coiling. If you face them, stay sharp. Don't rush in and get yourself killed."
The Navy's diligent protectors of justice rarely awakened Conqueror's Haki, unlike these damn pirates with their freakish talent.
"Per the Fleet Admiral's orders, the three of us will stay in the New World until things stabilize. Only then can we rotate back to guard Marineford," Kong said, his voice flat. A year's worth of leave was gone—returning to Navy Headquarters would feel like a vacation by comparison.
The meeting dissolved. The three admirals each led a task force to secure key New World bases, holding the line for allied nations.
...
After retreating to Hachinosu Rocks' territory descended into chaos again. Islands once under the Rocks Pirates' flag were harassed or even seized by rivals.
Brook's turf, however, held strong. The Hell Pirates' dominance in the recent war made other crews think twice about messing with their routes or islands. Plus, Brook had set up Pirate Guild outposts, giving smaller crews a way to survive under his banner.
...
New World, Baron Island
Punk Hazard, freshly reclaimed, was placed next to the scholars' haven, Ohara, for a powerhouse alliance. Brook officially named Vegapunk as the island's overseer.
Captured scientists and researchers fell under Vegapunk's command. Brook made examples of the troublemakers all executed to set the tone. Those who'd abused rare races were also purged. Less guilty researchers were spared, allowed to continue work on cyborgs and robots under Brook's watch.
The four Lunarians were claimed by Brook as permanent crew on Golden Island. Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard Newgate begged to take one each, but Brook, citing crew loyalty, shut them down cold.
"The Golden Pirates are now our affiliates? Not bad, not bad. Worth nurturing!"
Brook vaguely recalled this golden-age pirate crew. If Emperor Whitebeard had over forty affiliate crews, the Hell Pirates needed to top that. But unlike Whitebeard's loose, loyalty-driven management, Brook wanted a structured hierarchy with clear benefits to keep his affiliates motivated.
...
The Navy had quietly contacted the Hell Pirates about ransoming the captured Marines, but Brook's pitch for a secret alliance was politely declined.
Furious, Brook demanded Devil Fruits and legendary weapons as ransom—no exceptions. The Navy, forced to appeal to the Five Elders and Celestial Dragons, coughed up five Devil Fruits to secure most of their captives. A few Devil Fruit users, though, were "missing."
Brook's excuse? "They died from their wounds." The Navy was livid, nearly sparking another fight, but the deal went through.
The next day, news of the Hell Pirates' updated bounties spread worldwide. The staggering figures dwarfed the Rocks Pirates' officers by comparison. Though Brook's personal bounty still trailed Rocks', the Hell Pirates' cadre outshone their rivals' in strength.
Some pirates even whispered: could the Hell Pirates take down the Rocks Pirates?
The title of the world's top pirate crew was up for grabs. Rocks had the mightiest captain, but the Hell Pirates boasted unmatched lieutenants. A clash between these titans would be anyone's guess.
For now, though, the two crews were allied. A war to settle the score seemed unlikely— at least for the moment.
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