"Well then, I'd better hurry and go see my master," Hancock murmured to herself, her hands clasped to her cheeks in a flush of bashful excitement. Just then, a Kuja Pirate approached and said, "Empress! White… the Whitebeard Pirates have arrived!"
Hancock's expression changed instantly. Even with her reputation, she still held a healthy amount of fear and respect for Whitebeard.
But she quickly broke free from her brief astonishment, her proud aura as the Pirate Empress returning. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Meanwhile, on the southeast shore of New Amazon Lily, a colossal whale-headed ship slowly approached. Seeing it, San Juan Wolf, who was wading in the shallow water, had his eyes light up. "Captain! That's… that's the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates! Should we attack? Do you want me to attack them?"
San Juan Wolf could barely contain his excitement, thrilled at the prospect of finally fighting a great pirate.
"Stop, you idiot," Alucard said, looking up from where he sat on the shore, a slight smirk on his face. "You don't want to die, do you?"
On the Moby Dick, a Whitebeard crew member with a pair of binoculars caught sight of Alucard sitting on the shore. He quickly lowered the binoculars and shouted to Whitebeard, who was seated on a throne in the center of the deck, "Pops! We've found Alucard!"
Gulp gulp gulp...
Whitebeard took a long swig of sake, making a loud gulping sound, then tossed the bottle into the sea. He wiped his mouth with his hand and roared, "Sail onward!"
Marco stood with his hands on his hips, staring at San Juan Wolf, who was unbelievably huge even with only the top half of his body visible. He smirked and said, "So that's Alucard's ship, the one they call 'Colossal Battleship' San Juan Wolf, huh? He's even bigger than I imagined, yoi!"
As the Moby Dick drew closer to the shore, the pirate flags of Alucard and the Kuja, which were planted on the beach, came into view of the Whitebeard Pirates. At the same time, a large group of Kuja pirates, led by Hancock, emerged from the jungle behind Alucard, glaring at the men on Whitebeard's ship.
"Oh! The Kuja Pirates under Alucard's command?"
"Is that the legendary Pirate Empress? She's beautiful!"
"How great would it be if we could have had them join the Whitebeard Pirates earlier?"
Over ninety percent of the Whitebeard Pirates were rough-and-tumble men. When they saw the horde of women behind Alucard, their eyes went wide, and they were practically drooling.
"Bunch of fools, shut it, yoi." Marco scowled.
They hadn't come for a fight, but if his crew acted like this, they could easily provoke the other side and be forced into a battle.
The Moby Dick's prow docked on the shore. Whitebeard stood up from his throne and moved to the tip of the whale-headed ship. His crew members lined up behind him, creating a standoff with Alucard and the Kuja Pirates.
Though the Kuja Pirates were a high-ranking crew in Paradise, their aura was significantly weaker compared to the battle-hardened Whitebeard Pirates. A few of the younger women were already starting to sweat.
"That kid from back then… you've become a big shot now!" Whitebeard bellowed with his head held high.
"That old man from back then… you've become even older," Alucard replied calmly, not giving an inch. His words infuriated his crew members, like Thatch and Jozu, who glared at him.
San Juan Wolf occasionally poked his head out of the water next to the Moby Dick, while Hancock and her crew remained on the shore. Alucard and Whitebeard stood on the deck of the Moby Dick, surrounded by Whitebeard's crew.
A few crew members had foolishly attempted to step onto Amazon Lily and were turned to stone by Hancock. They were only returned to normal after Whitebeard guaranteed their safety.
"When Neptune and the others wanted to move to the surface, I wanted to give them an island as a gift, but they refused. How did you get them to agree?" Whitebeard squinted, scrutinizing Alucard. He then added, "Or rather, what deal did you strike with them to make them feel they had no choice?"
Queen Otohime and King Neptune weren't fools. They knew that accepting a gift from a pirate would undoubtedly draw the hostility of the World Government and the Marines. That's why
they hadn't even accepted Whitebeard's kindness. This was why Whitebeard was so surprised.
Neptune hadn't accepted the offer of friendship he made, yet he accepted something from a dangerous character like Alucard. It was too strange.
Combined with their previous meeting at Fish-Man Island, Neptune's hesitant behavior made Whitebeard even more sure of his suspicions. But instead of pressing Neptune, he shifted his focus to Alucard.
Alucard tilted his head, choosing not to answer Whitebeard's question. Poseidon would be revealed to the world eventually, but not now. The child Shirahoshi needed to mature into the true "Poseidon" in the coming years.
"I don't have to answer your question," Alucard said concisely.
Whitebeard wasn't surprised by the answer. He narrowed his eyes, and his gaze dropped, his tone unreadable. "Neptune is my friend. If he's in trouble, I can't just stand by."
"If you want to know so badly, why not try the pirate way?" The lenses of Alucard's sunglasses glinted with a sharp light, and a smile played on his lips.
"You're right. Then I'll show you what a true pirate is!" Whitebeard drew his massive naginata from behind him and stood up from his throne, swinging the weapon toward Alucard.
"Pops!!" The surrounding Whitebeard crew members cried out in astonishment. "A fight at the drop of a hat? Now that's a true pirate!"
Alucard agreed with a nod. He shaped the Blacklight Virus in his hand into a silver broadsword. It met the blade of Whitebeard's bisento with a clash.
BOOM!!!
The powerful shockwave created a tangible gale that ripped through the Moby Dick's deck, tearing several gashes into the railing. Even San Juan Wolf, who was watching from the side, got a few cuts on his face, but he wasn't scared. Instead, he looked thrilled.
Why waste time with so many words? If you want to know something, if you want to get something, you just grab it with the blade in your hand. That's what a pirate is.
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