Inside the Ryugu Palace, Alucard, the three Boa sisters, and Elder Nyon faced off against King Neptune, Queen Otohime, Fisher Tiger, and Jinbe.
"That's impossible! If you want to, you can take my life right now!" Fisher Tiger roared in fury. Jinbe quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from lashing out.
Even so, Jinbe's eyes were filled with intense anger, though he was more able to restrain himself.
The reason for the outrage from the captain and vice-captain of the Sun Pirates was a single sentence—more accurately, a single demand—that Alucard had just made.
He would spare the lives of the Sun Pirates, but on one condition: they had to hand over Shirahoshi to him.
Upon hearing this, Fisher Tiger was naturally incandescent with rage.
The Boa sisters, who had witnessed the earlier events, had a vague feeling that the three- or four- year-old "little" mermaid was special, but they never expected her to be something that would pique Alucard's interest.
At that moment, Otohime stepped forward with a serious expression. "Alucard-san, what you want is probably not Shirahoshi, but the Ancient Weapon Poseidon, is it not?"
The Boa sisters blinked in confusion, but Elder Nyon's face paled. She turned to look at Alucard, nodding inwardly. No wonder, no wonder. I thought that child was just special in some way, but it's because of this.
"Master… what is that?" Hancock whispered, leaning in closer to Alucard. "One of the three Ancient Weapons…"
Elder Nyon's expression was solemn as she lowered her voice. "Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus. Each one possesses power that could overturn the world. The World Government has been searching for them for years. More than a decade ago, Ohara was destroyed by a Buster Call because they were suspected of researching how to revive an Ancient Weapon."
"So, that child is…"
Hancock's eyes narrowed. Her two younger sisters behind her looked on with reverence. Elder Nyon nodded. "Yes, there's no mistake."
Elder Nyon turned to face Otohime. "That princess… is the Ancient Weapon Poseidon, right?"
With those words, Elder Nyon made Alucard's goal clear. He didn't want "Shirahoshi" at all; he wanted "Poseidon"!
"I, Fisher Tiger, have lived an honorable life. I will never let a child become a pirate for my sake!"
Fisher Tiger was still emotional, beating his chest as he roared, "If you want my life, just take it!"
Alucard glanced at Fisher Tiger, finding it rare to waste words on him. He then tilted his head slightly, facing King Neptune. "What is your answer?"
"Uh…"
King Neptune gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Otohime stepped forward again. "May I ask what you will do if we do not agree, Alucard-san?"
"Is that so? Well…"
Alucard pretended to think for a moment, then gave a smile. "I suppose I'll have to destroy this place, then?"
Jinbe and Fisher Tiger immediately entered a combat-ready state, taking up their Fish-Man Karate stances.
Seeing their actions, the three Boa sisters also took up their fighting stances. Marigold and Sandersonia behind Hancock immediately entered their full-beast forms of the Snake-Snake Fruit.
"What insolence! To point your fists at my Master!" Hancock, standing on Salome's coils, looked down imperiously at Jinbe and Fisher Tiger.
Facing the explosive tension, Alucard remained calm. "What is there to be afraid of? The Whitebeard Pirates' flag is flying over Fish-Man Island right now. You can always call Whitebeard to take me on, can't you?"
The situation immediately fell into a stalemate. Although Fisher Tiger and Jinbe had taken their fighting stances, the pressure from Alucard was so overwhelming that before a fight had even begun, the fear in their hearts had already sealed their defeat.
This was the kind of pressure one could only feel when facing a pinnacle figure of the pirate world.
Otohime felt the atmosphere, which was so thick it was almost solid, and her heart grew anxious.
She thought to herself, This situation is far beyond what Fish-Man Island can handle… No matter what action Whitebeard takes, we can't withstand the pressure of one of the Three Monsters. What can we do… what on earth can we do?
"Ahem,"
At that moment, Elder Nyon suddenly cleared her throat twice and interjected, "Excuse me. Whether it's the Ryugu Palace… or the Snake Princess…"
Seeing Hancock give her a withering glare, Elder Nyon quickly corrected herself. "Or perhaps the great Snake Princess, would you mind hearing me out for a moment?"
Seeing no one object, Elder Nyon continued, "When I first came to Fish-Man Island, I heard that Queen Otohime hopes to move the fish-men to the surface. Is that correct?"
"Yes,"
Otohime nodded. "I have been asking the people to sign a petition for almost five years, but…" Otohime's head drooped as she spoke, clearly indicating that things were not going well.
"Alucard... Alucard-san, you also have twelve empty islands in the New World, do you not?" Elder Nyon added "san" to Alucard's name under Hancock's murderous gaze.
"What are you trying to do?" Alucard countered.
The twelve islands Elder Nyon was referring to were the twelve kingdoms Alucard had destroyed.
Those places had vast territories and resources. Although the cities were ruined, they were still in a relatively good condition. To many, those twelve islands were an absolute treasure trove.
But even though this was common knowledge in the New World, no one dared to have any designs on them.
This was because they were Alucard's property.
Even though Alucard had ruined them, they were still his property, not like money on the ground that anyone could just pick up.
But Alucard himself had not managed them, so they had remained empty.
"Elder, are you suggesting…" Otohime frowned, already guessing what she was getting at. "Yes. Don't you think it's an excellent plan?"
Elder Nyon continued. "We can use one of those islands as a trade for the fish-man citizens' migration. And with a great pirate's flag flying there, it should be much easier than getting permission from the World Government, shouldn't it?"
At this point, Elder Nyon turned to Alucard with some concern. "Alucard-san, do you have any objections?"
Alucard chuckled at her words. "Heh, an island of no use to me in exchange for Poseidon. That's a very fair trade."
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