The title of Yonko was a source of great happiness for the three monsters, or at least for their respective crews. It meant they had ascended to the ranks of the world's most elite pirates.
However, where there's happiness, there's also discontent. Unquestionably, the Whitebeard Pirates in the latter half of the New World were the most unhappy, feeling extremely frustrated and indignant.
"Alucard, Kaido, Big Mom... Which one should we take down first?"
This was a common topic of discussion among the Whitebeard Pirates' crew members in recent days.
Ever since the news of the "Yonko" broke a few days prior, the Whitebeard Pirates and their 28 subordinate fleets had been furious.
Why?
Because Whitebeard was a man on equal footing with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger! How could he be mentioned in the same breath as newcomers like Alucard and Kaido?
The more the Whitebeard Pirates thought about it, the more frustrated they became. They eventually reached a unanimous conclusion: they needed to attack one of the other three Yonko to show that Whitebeard was a cut above the rest.
"Whoa, whoa, you guys need to stop thinking like that, ya know?"
Just as a few Whitebeard Pirates crew members were gathered, discussing this very topic, First Division Commander Marco walked up and said, "It's a bad idea."
"Commander Marco?" they all looked at him in surprise.
Marco hooked his thumb at Whitebeard, who was sitting in a deck chair. Despite the ship doctor's attempts to stop him, Whitebeard continued to drink, his body connected to more medical equipment and IV lines than ever before.
His condition had deteriorated severely after the fight with Alucard.
"Even if we ignore Pops' health for a moment, he himself would never agree to us doing something like that," Marco said with a stoic expression. While he desperately wanted to stop Whitebeard from drinking so much, he knew it was impossible.
Whitebeard didn't care about reputation. He was perfectly content just watching his rowdy "sons" around him.
Meanwhile, in Alucard's territory in the latter half of the New World, on Amazon Lily, inside the Empress's palace...
"Everyone has worked hard on this expedition. Sandersonia and Marigold, you'll be in charge of settling in the new crew members." Hancock said from her throne, addressing her two younger sisters below.
"Ahhhwn..."
Next to Hancock, Shirahoshi suddenly let out a cute yawn and rubbed her big eyes.
Guided by a maid, she expertly made her way to a separate room in the side hall, where she immediately collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.
She was still just a five-year-old, after all.
Standing on the red carpet below Hancock was a woman with shoulder-length, light blonde hair. She saw the scene unfold, and a peculiar look crossed her eyes. She then looked up and asked Hancock: "Empress, ever since I joined the Kuja Pirates, there's been something I don't understand. What exactly is a 'celestial being' from the Holy Land Mariejois?"
The woman's name was Oliaka Laliya. She had previously been a crew member of a female pirate crew with a bounty of 27,000,000 Berries. She was recruited after her crew was defeated by the Kuja Pirates during a recent expedition.
It wasn't just Laliya; over 90% of the Kuja Pirates didn't understand why Hancock kept Shirahoshi by her side.
Not only was she a mermaid, but she was also a five-year-old child—albeit a very large one. What was the point of keeping her around? Were they training her to be a successor?
Hancock propped her face up with one hand, a dark expression on her face. She was clearly displeased with Laliya's question. "You're new, so I'll let it slide this time. But remember not to ask that question again."
As she spoke, Hancock unleashed a faint burst of Conqueror's Haki, causing everyone present to break out in a cold sweat. Laliya quickly bowed her head and apologized: "My deepest apologies, Empress!"
She thought to herself, 'That's Conqueror's Haki...'
Hancock's gaze shifted slightly, and she noticed that two people were absent. She frowned and asked, "Where are Scarlett and Viola?"
Over the past four months, Scarlett and Viola had been promoted from deckhands to executive officers. Viola was a powerful long-range scout with her clairvoyance ability, and Scarlett had gained Alucard's favor, being gifted the power of a vampire.
However, Scarlett had not yet consumed any blood, so she hadn't become a true vampire. Her strength was far from Hancock's, and she served as a sniper within the pirate crew.
They were supposed to be at the meeting today, but Hancock couldn't find them.
"Empress," another Kuja executive stepped forward and said, "Scarlett-san and Viola-san went straight to Arderay the moment they landed on the island."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Hancock immediately rose from her throne, her face a furious scowl. "Those wretched sisters are going to bother master again! I should have torn them to pieces!"
Arderay was the largest island in Alucard's territory and his main resting place when he wasn't sailing. Anyone with a brain could guess why Scarlett and Viola would go there.
With that, Hancock quickly left the palace, followed by Salome, and they vanished in an instant.
Sandersonia rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Onee-sama has left, so I'll distribute the tasks we need to handle next."
Sandersonia quickly went over the responsibilities of each executive before dismissing them. Everyone left one after another.
As Laliya passed the side hall where Shirahoshi was staying, she glanced over and noticed that there was a Kuja guard standing watch every few feet, their vigilance even greater than the guards for Hancock.
"May I see Princess Shirahoshi?" Laliya asked the guards at the entrance.
"I'm sorry, Laliya-san," the guard blocking her way said sternly. "Empress Hancock's orders are that no one is allowed to enter unless Princess Shirahoshi comes out on her own."
"Not even me?" Laliya frowned.
"Not even Sandersonia-san or Marigold-san," the guard replied.
Seeing that her request was futile, Laliya left, resigned to finding another way.
After leaving the Kuja palace, Laliya, taking care to be unseen, walked alone into the jungle. She took out a miniature Den Den Mushi and reported: "This is Golden Python. Shirahoshi is in the east side hall of Hancock's palace. I repeat, Shirahoshi is in the east side hall of Hancock's palace."
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