Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Into the West Sea
The Hell Pirates, a titan among crews, had stormed into the West Sea like max-level players crashing a beginner’s village. Any crew member with a bounty over 100 million Belly could rule these waters with ease!
Take Fisher Tiger’s 20-million-Belly bounty—it’d likely rank among the West Sea’s elite. Back in the East Blue, after all, scum like Krieg with his 17 million or Arlong with his 20 million were considered kings!
"According to the Umi Family and Mortomas, the Castle-Castle Fruit popped up on Nostra Island. Word is, it was part of a shady underworld auction!"
Brook’s mission in the West Sea was crystal clear: snag the Castle-Castle Fruit and raid Ohara’s books. Right now, the fruit—or whoever ate it—was priority number one.
"Exactly, Brook," Antonio chimed in. "It was hosted by William Russo of the William Family, Nostra Island’s mafia. But their rivals, the Capone Family from Castro Island, led by Capone Lupo, crashed the party. The fruit’s gone missing, and now the two families are locked in a bloody feud. The West Sea’s underworld is a mess!"
Antonio had compiled the intel like a pro. The plan was simple: the Hell Pirates would roll into town, crush both mafia families, and shake them down until the Castle-Castle Fruit turned up. Even if someone had eaten it, they’d track them down!
Capone Lupo? Brook mused. Maybe Capone Bege’s dad or granddad? Bege won’t be born for another decade or so. No wonder Bege grew up toting pistols and swords as a kid—his family was pure mafia stock, laying the groundwork for him to one day rule the West Sea’s underworld!
"Let’s just take both islands," Brook said coolly.
Shakky pinpointed Nostra and Castro on the map, and Golden Lion Shiki steered the floating Golden Island toward their targets.
Brook gazed at the clear skies, lost in thought. The West Sea was his home turf, back when he was a guard captain in the Dumora Kingdom. That was before he joined the Rumbar Pirates and set sail for adventure.
The West Sea also housed the Flower Country, a World Government ally with a fearsome fleet of at least eight pirate crews. Among them, the Happo Navy’s violent Chinjao Family stood out, led by Cone-Head Chinjao, a three-Haki master tearing up the New World. At 27, he was in his prime, the same age as his old rival, Garp!
Garp was out there in the New World, hammering Roger’s crew and Chinjao’s Happo Navy without breaking a sweat.
"The Happo Navy’s Hasshoken is something else," Brook murmured. "A century-old technique passed down through generations."
He had a bit of a collector’s streak—when he saw something powerful, he wanted it. The Hasshoken didn’t suit his skeletal style, but some of his crew might take a shine to it!
Then there was his other goal: Ohara, the scholar’s paradise with its Tree of Knowledge, home to the world’s largest library and a mecca for archaeologists.
Once they secured the Castle-Castle Fruit—or its eater—Brook planned to hit Ohara. He even toyed with having Shiki uproot the Tree of Knowledge and transplant it to Golden Island!
Sure, the World Government would torch Ohara decades from now, and whether Robin or her mother would be born was none of his concern. A pirate didn’t sweat the small stuff!
All Brook knew was that the Tree’s knowledge would be a goldmine for Vegapunk. If he played his cards right, he could turn a New World sky island into a scholar’s haven, drawing talent from across the globe.
The New World was dangerous for eggheads, but Brook had a fix: carve out more territory and chart a direct route from Fish-Man Island to his sky islands. That’d lure the world’s brightest minds to his banner!
His Sky Island Plan was already in motion—why not add a Scholar’s Island to the mix?
...
Meanwhile, on Castro Island.
Capone Lupo, boss of the Capone Family, was practically buzzing with glee. Crashing William Russo’s auction and snagging that Devil Fruit was a major coup!
If he hadn’t already eaten a fruit, he’d have chowed down on this one. For now, he’d stash it away as a family heirloom, a trump card for the future.
Ever since his father, Capone Nuga, the previous don, was assassinated by the William Family, Lupo had taken the reins young. He’d been fending off their attacks ever since.
This time, he’d struck back hard, crippling the Williams and leaving them too weak to retaliate for years. The Capone Family was poised to rise, ready to reclaim its spot as the West Sea’s top mafia and crush the Williams for good!
He hadn’t avenged his father by killing the William patriarch, but Lupo was content. Barely an adult, he’d orchestrated a raid that gutted a third of their ranks and stole their prize. That was no small feat!
Inside the family, dissent was fading. Lupo was cementing his control, and any holdouts would soon meet their end.
Slicking back his hair and lighting a cigar, Lupo grinned at his reflection, exuding the swagger of a true boss. The old-timers couldn’t underestimate him now!
Just as he smirked, chaos erupted outside. The Williams, already hitting back?
No way—they’d lost a third of their men! They wouldn’t dare storm Castro Island, the Capone stronghold.
Still, Lupo wasn’t taking chances. He grabbed his pistol and bolted out the door.
Stepping outside, he saw the sky darken. Looking up, his eyes widened, and his cigar fell from his mouth. A massive island loomed overhead, its shadow swallowing the land.
The oppressive aura hit him like a tidal wave. As a mafia boss, Lupo kept tabs on the Grand Line and New World. These small-time West Sea gangs played it safe, steering clear of the Marines.
But now, a New World juggernaut had descended on his turf. A single Hell Pirate with a 100-million-Belly bounty could wipe out his entire family. How was he supposed to fight that?
A rousing anthem blared from Golden Island, snapping Lupo out of his daze. When he saw the fearsome figures standing atop it, his knees buckled. With a thud, he dropped to the ground, overwhelmed.
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