Conquest

Orton and Batista's revenge seemed to signal that Hades, quiet for so long, was about to make his move.

Iskanbel Island, Ananke's return, and the strength he had gained

were all only part of the reason.

What mattered most was Hades's restless heart.

His hunger for battle was stirring. He wanted to break free of his restraints. He longed for freedom!

Yes, Hades yearned for freedom.

Even now, the name "Jaeger's Son" remained a shackle around him.

Hades had never wanted that to be the first thing people knew about him.

He was about to act. He would rapidly expand his forces, form a pirate crew of his own, leave Hachinosu, and move to Iskanbel.

His first targets were the former subordinates of Kosa, the "Violence King," who had already been locked up in Impel Down.

All three were former senior officers of the Rocks Pirates.

Stumann the "Monster," Cowens the "Wildman," and Anselde Weiss the "Bonecrusher."

They were immensely strong, but if someone surpassed them, gave them what they wanted, and met their needs, there was a good chance they could be won over.

It sounded easy. The catch was that Hades had to be strong enough to do it.

No one had tried to make them submit in the past year or so.

There were plenty of reasons. The three were bad-tempered, savage, and violent. They had shown Kosa no loyalty, earning themselves something of a reputation as traitors.

They were also too powerful to control easily.

Stumann lived up to his title. He was ugly as a monster.

Cowens was a wildman who had gone to sea by chance and joined the Rocks Pirates. There was nothing wrong with his intelligence, but he saw the world through a primitive law of the strong preying on the weak.