As a member of the D clan, stirring up trouble was practically in Roger's blood. Why not sneak into Rocks' territory and poke around? That was his plan, and no one—not even Rocks—could stop his quest to explore every corner of the world!
Heck, maybe one day he'd take down Rocks himself!
That tyrant of a pirate was stomping all over the freedom of adventure. Unlike Brook, who at least left you a path to walk—maybe even with a promotion in the pirate ranks or a discount on drinks.
Sure, Roger had no clue what Brook was up to with this "Pirate Guild" nonsense, but it was better than Rocks' iron-fisted control. At least Brook's way came with some perks.
"Roger, stick around the island for a bit!" Brook said with a grin. "Let's swap stories. The crew's dying to see your Conqueror's Haki Coiling in action, and they could use some downtime to unwind."
Brook wasn't about to let Roger, the perfect sparring partner, slip away. Redfield, Newgate, and the others needed to test their own Conqueror's Haki Coiling, and Roger seemed a step ahead.
Why pass up a chance to milk every ounce of value from the Chosen One himself? Roger was a walking goldmine of potential!
"Haha! I was thinking the same thing!" Roger replied. "But, Brook, old pal, could you get those scholars on Ohara to translate some Poneglyph rubbings for me?"
Roger handed over rubbings from the Poneglyph. He knew Brook had used Poneglyphs as payment to secure allies before, so there had to be experts on his turf who could crack the ancient script.
"No problem," Brook said casually. "Did you bring the actual Poneglyph, or are you keeping it for yourself?"
Brook wasn't too fussed about collecting every stone, but if it was up for grabs, he'd take it. He already had a red Poneglyph, with the Wano red stone practically in his pocket. The one on Zou could wait.
"Another Poneglyph, Brook? I just made rubbings. The real thing's too big and heavy to haul on my ship," Roger said, grabbing a sheet of paper. "If you want it, go grab it. I'll sketch you a map."
He scribbled a rough map of Emperor Ingran's treasure vault. Roger's crew had already looted the gold, but the Poneglyph was still there.
"Deal. I'll send someone to fetch it," Brook said. "Stay a few days, and I'll have the historians translate your rubbings. Have fun—especially you, Roger. Shiki and Newgate are itching for a rematch!"
Brook was pleased with Roger's easygoing attitude. Not only did he hand over Saracha, but he was practically gifting Poneglyph info too. What a guy!
Should he push his luck and ask if Roger had any spare Devil Fruits lying around?
"Awesome! I've been craving Newgate's booze!" Roger laughed. "We're not holding back—let's drink and brawl!"
Roger planned to spend the translation time knocking back drinks with Shiki and Newgate, maybe throwing a few punches. Rayleigh, meanwhile, scanned the crowd, searching for a certain someone who wasn't there.
"Hell yeah! Time to party!"
Roger's crew had nearly lost their minds dealing with Saracha on Brelco Island. Now, flush with Emperor Ingran's treasure, they were ready to blow off steam. Money wasn't an issue anymore.
Roger's diamond discount card—good for food, drinks, and fun—would save them a few Belly. Gear and weapons? Probably no discount, but who cares? They were loaded. Buy, buy, buy!
...
As Roger's crew hit the town, Brook tasked Golden Lion Shiki with keeping them entertained. He headed back to Skypiea, handing the Poneglyph rubbings to Ohara's eager historians.
Then, it was time to deal with Saracha, the so-called "pseudo-overlord." A triple-Haki user with the Corrupt-Corrupt Fruit, he was no pushover. It took Roger's trio to wear him down and capture him.
Inside the massive laboratory on Golden Island...
"This guy's a tough nut to crack," Brook muttered. "The Shichiseiken can't even corrupt someone with Conqueror's Haki?"
Watching Saracha resist the Shichiseiken's influence, Brook felt a pang of disappointment. As expected of a one-in-a-million Conqueror's Haki wielder—not so easy to tame!
"Brook! You trying to control me? We're allies! Let me go!"
Shackled in Seastone cuffs, Saracha was stunned to find himself no longer in Roger's hands but on Brook's turf. He was desperate for release.
On Roger's ship, he'd been through hell—starved for days, not even a drop of water.
"Saracha, how about joining us?" Brook asked, more out of courtesy than expectation.
After seeing the Shichiseiken fail, Brook had already made up his mind. He'd rather harvest Saracha's soul and reclaim the Corrupt-Corrupt Fruit than waste time trying to win over a Conqueror's Haki user.
Plus, he'd promised Roger not to let Saracha walk. If the Shichiseiken had worked, he could've turned him into a black-robed assassin. But that plan was dead now.
"You're out of your mind!" Saracha roared. "Me, join you? I'm the captain of an overlord crew! I'd never bow to you!"
His intel was outdated, stuck back when he fled from Rocks, tangled with Roger's crew on Brelco Island.
"Sorry, Saracha, but your territory's mine now," Brook said coldly. "Vesper's dead too—his turf's mine as well. The New World's split between me and Rocks. There's no stage left for you. Time to face the music."
Brook prepared to finish the job. A pseudo-overlord's soul and Devil Fruit would be a decent haul.
"No way! You? Swallow mine and Vesper's territories? With your crew?" Saracha scoffed. "The Hell Pirates, ruling the New World alongside Rocks? You've been in the New World, what, a couple years? That's a pipe dream!"
Brook raised his hand to end Saracha and claim the Corrupt-Corrupt Fruit, but Charlotte Linlin and ship doctor Crocus burst in.
"Hold up, Brook!" Linlin shouted. "I haven't harvested his soul's lifespan yet!"
"Don't kill him, Captain!" Crocus pleaded. "You promised me a strong guy's blood! I need it for my research!"
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+300 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg