With Brook's return, he—like Rocks—went into hibernation, avoiding any trouble in the New World's front lines.
Multiple forces entered a relatively peaceful phase of development.
Among them, Brook's business empire grew stronger than ever. The entire underworld had shifted allegiance to the Hell Pirates, and even Brook had to tip his hat to Rocks for that!
Rocks' high-pressure tactics and ruthless plundering, devoid of any principles, had successfully driven all underworld players out of his territory, funneling them straight into Brook's domain!
In turn, Rocks gained full control over his turf, without a drop of profit leaking to those shady underworld types. The downside? His territories seemed even poorer as a result.
With so many factions pouring into Brook's realm, even remote islands blossomed into thriving hubs, joining the ranks of bustling towns!
The Hell Pirates' overall strength had now surpassed the Rocks Pirates. If not for Rocks' unmatched personal power, some supernova or big-name pirate might have already tried to topple him!
Lately, Brook spent a lot of time in Vegapunk's lab. Beyond sharing creative ideas, he threw himself wholeheartedly into guiding Tenmoku with her Scroll-Scroll Fruit development.
He pointed out familiar techniques and development paths, one by one. His vast knowledge and wild, imaginative ideas earned him admiration from both Vegapunk and Tenmoku.
Brook also mobilized the full resources of the Hell Pirates to build an Adam Wood version of the ancient weapon Pluton, incorporating flight tech from the Golden Ark to create a flying Pluton battleship fortress!
Who knows—maybe one day it could stand toe-to-toe with Uranus!
Vegapunk had already started crafting his robotic clones to assist him, each one shaped like a cute loli beauty. Brook spotted Vegapunk's inner perv right away.
Genius or not, high IQ or low, the pursuit of beauty was hardwired!
...
Time flew by, nearly a year slipping away!
Sea Calendar 1474, December 12. (48 years before the main storyline)
Brook's three kids had turned one. With no major wars erupting for a while, Kong returned to Marine Headquarters at Marineford.
This move highlighted Kong's favor with the Five Elders and Celestial Dragons—if all went as expected, he'd be the next Fleet Admiral!
To celebrate the kids' first birthday, Charlotte Linlin threw another tea party. She loved these lively gatherings where all races mingled!
Besides powerhouses from various races under her banner, underworld bosses flocked to the grand banquet.
Over the past year, Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard Newgate had made the biggest splashes, crushing unrest across their territories. Redfield, often sticking close to Brook without venturing out, got less spotlight.
But no one dared underestimate Redfield—this elegant man, dubbed the Hell Pirates' steward, wielded thunder-god terror behind his refined facade!
"Captain Brook, good news! Prince Neptune from Fish-Man Island called—they've spotted a trace of the island-swallowing lantern fish!"
Antonio reported swiftly. This task was top-priority for Brook, even higher than hunting Devil Fruits!
"Yohoho, the news just keeps rolling in!"
Brook set down the Den Den Mushi. He'd just wrapped up a call with Rocks. Besides congratulations, Rocks pressed him to honor their alliance: team up for a massive operation to crush the Navy in the New World, then invade God's Valley!
Brook pondered Rocks' plan, his brow furrowing. Was the God's Valley incident kicking off a decade early?
This was a big deal!
In the original timeline, Rocks should still be unifying the New World around now—it'd take three or four more years to fully integrate it, becoming its true overlord. Then, after another five or six years of buildup, he'd strike God's Valley.
But Brook's arrival had split Rocks' forces, forcing him to share the New World.
Yet, Brook's unyielding alliance had also made Rocks abandon full unification, giving him extra time to plot against the Navy and God's Valley!
This hibernation phase was meant to lure some Navy forces back to Marineford, boosting their odds of success.
After all, the Navy was the true hegemon of the seas!
With his power base weaker than in the original story, Rocks had grown more cautious. Plus, Brook was no pushover—a schemer who'd backstab without blinking—so Rocks had to plan carefully!
In Rocks' mind, he aimed to exploit the info gap on God's Valley, using Brook as muscle while he snatched top-tier Devil Fruits to bolster his crew!
Then, his officers would rival the Hell Pirates' four heavy hitters, and Rocks was confident he could take Brook down!
In the end, Rocks would reign as the New World's sole master!
'Advancing the war might work, but I wonder how many Devil Fruits God's Valley has stockpiled now—enough to satisfy my appetite?'
Brook mused inwardly. Attacking the Celestial Dragons' God's Valley meant all-out war, potentially drawing out Uranus itself. He had to tread carefully!
If the rewards didn't outweigh the risks, it'd be a loss. Raiding God's Valley needed to massively boost the Hell Pirates' strength to better counter the World Government and Uranus.
"Keep King Mars and Prince Neptune on the hunt for the lantern fish's exact location. We'll handle it personally when the time comes!"
Brook decided the lantern fish took priority over the Navy showdown—not that it was urgent anyway!
The Navy and God's Valley weren't going anywhere. Drag it out a few more years, and his flying Pluton battleship might even be ready. Then, Uranus wouldn't loom so large.
"Understood!" Antonio hurried off to coordinate.
Meanwhile, Brook schemed how to stall Rocks. A simple "let's plan long-term" had shut him down for now, and Brook even tossed him a tip: send a disposable thug or sacrificial officer back to the Paradise half of the Grand Line, stirring chaos in the Sabaody Archipelago to pin down Admiral Kong.
Brook wouldn't risk his own people—just let Rocks handle it. Once Rocks set everything up, Brook would join the assault on God's Valley.
Of course, his goal mirrored Rocks': snag those top-tier Devil Fruits from God's Valley!
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+400 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg