Even the other two dominant pirate crews had started making offers. As long as Golden Lion Shiki joined their ranks, he would immediately become an officer. With a bit more growth, he could even contend for the highest officer position.
"I will never submit! I am the Golden Lion, the one who has awakened Conqueror's Haki!"
Shiki unleashed his Haki wildly on the beach, making Skaredo feel dizzy and uncomfortable.
After venting his frustrations, Shiki felt even more aggrieved. One failure had caused the reputation of the Flying Pirates to plummet so much that they could no longer attract strong recruits in the New World.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have provoked the Rocks Pirates. He had a good hand but played it terribly. The name of the Flying Pirates could have still attracted many recruits, but now? Nothing. Why hadn't he just focused on steady growth?
Shiki wanted to slap himself. Why had he lost his temper and provoked that mad dog Rocks? Now Rocks was fixated on seizing his Float-Float Fruit ability.
Was he really going to crawl back to the Grand Line and recruit pirates who didn't even know Haki? That wouldn't change anything. The next time they returned to the New World, they would still be weaklings, easily crushed!
Should he personally train a group of rookies in Haki? But that would take too much time. Where would he even find recruits with strong talent? He had no way of knowing who had true potential!
Frustrated and unable to find a solution, Shiki decided to take Skaredo to a nearby island—to plunder some food and seize another pirate ship.
...
"Captain Brook, are there really Sky Islands in the New World?"
Shakky asked excitedly. If they could find a Sky Island, it would be the perfect base.
"There are, but I don't know their exact locations. We'll have to rely on everyone gathering information and Antonio's abilities."
Brook wasn't sure which island future Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo had formed their alliance on. He only knew it was the place where Kaido had jumped from a Sky Island and crushed Kid's crew, shattering their alliance.
Apoo and Hawkins had surrendered immediately, but Kid, stubborn as ever, had resisted to the bitter end and was dragged away for forced labor. Killer was also fed a SMILE fruit, turning him into a laughing husk.
The Supernova Urouge, who had defeated one of Big Mom's Four Sweet Commanders, Snack, was also recuperating on that Sky Island when he witnessed Kaido's suicidal leap.
"If we can claim a Sky Island in the New World as our base, it would be a strategic advantage, giving us ample time to build our forces!"
Redfield agreed. He had no desire to face the dominant pirate crews so soon. Their current strength was still lacking. At the very least, everyone needed to refine their Haki to an advanced level before they could challenge the great powers of the New World.
Right now, only two pirate crews had the ability to fly—the Hell Pirates and the Flying Pirates. The rest could only rely on flying-type Zoan Devil Fruits or Mythical Zoan users to reach Sky Islands.
"Captain Brook, can we eventually claim the Sheep's House island as our territory too?"
Charlotte Linlin asked with deep attachment. The island where Mother Carmel had raised her held a special place in her heart, even more so than the ten years' worth of treasure Streusen had hoarded there.
That island would one day become the main island of Totto Land—Whole Cake Island, a land filled with Homies and wonder.
"Of course! As long as we're strong enough, we can take whatever territory we want! First, we'll establish a foothold on a Sky Island in the New World. Then, we'll claim Sheep's House as our own. And we'll also take Sphinx Island, Whitebeard's homeland, under our protection!"
Brook declared firmly. He also had his eyes on another strategically crucial island—one he absolutely wouldn't let fall into the hands of any other pirate crew.
"Mhm! I will become even stronger!"
Linlin was now training in Haki as well. For prodigies like her, Redfield, and Whitebeard, awakening Haki was as natural as breathing.
They had simply lacked the opportunity to learn before. But now, with Redfield guiding them, Brook was witnessing firsthand what it meant to be blessed by the heavens.
This wasn't fair. This was outright divine favoritism!
Linlin had awakened Armament Haki in just a few days, leaving Shakky and Antonio in awe. It made them feel like background characters, mere sidekicks in the story of these prodigies.
As Brook watched these three powerhouses grow stronger by the day, he felt immense pressure as captain. He needed to find ways to further develop his Fruit abilities.
Fortunately, his time in the underworld had allowed him to absorb vast amounts of nether energy and ghostly essence, even drawing the attention of the horrors lurking in Hell itself. That was what gave him the qualifications to keep up with Redfield and the others.
He wasn't far behind these young conquerors now, but he needed to stay ahead to maintain authority and stability in the Hell Pirates. That meant continuously pushing his own growth.
Brook had also discovered something unsettling—when he killed an enemy, their soul no longer entered the underworld. Instead, his Devil Fruit ability trapped them within his spectral domain.
Even more terrifying, he could make these spirits devour each other, growing stronger in the process. Right now, only three had survived the initial chaos of soul consumption.
Would this force him to kill more people? Would it turn him into a bloodthirsty monster?
Brook hesitated. Deep down, he still held the conscience of a man from Earth. He couldn't bring himself to slaughter indiscriminately just to gain power.
So he set his sights on the powerful pirates of the New World instead. A single strong soul was worth more than hundreds of small fry. If this was the path to becoming a ruler of the New World, then so be it.
He had to stay strong—for the sake of his crew's survival.
...
"Captain Brook, there's an island ahead! Let's go feast and gather intel on the Sky Islands!"
Shakky, holding a telescope, shouted excitedly. After being on the ship with those monsters for so long, she needed to land somewhere and beat up a few pirates to restore her self-confidence.
Beside her, the sniper Silva felt the same way. Though their combat styles were different, seeing Whitebeard and Linlin's monstrous talent had shattered his confidence.
Enough of getting crushed in the high ranks. Time to drop down to a lower-tier fight and dominate for a while. Let's go! Time to wreck some rookies!
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+122 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg