Despite the ordeal, and having seen her fair share of dark situations while with Hancock, Shirahoshi was surprisingly resilient and didn't cry out. She simply sniffled, curled up alone in the corner of the cage, and remained silent, looking utterly pitiable.
However, Shirahoshi's miserable state didn't move Laliya and the other government-trained agents in the slightest. Her calmness, though, did take them by surprise.
She was gigantic, but this mermaid girl was only around five years old, right? How could she be so composed?
"Whatever. It would only be more trouble if she started crying and making a fuss," Laliya ordered. "Accelerate and rendezvous with the government ship. Even if they hide the body, the others in the royal palace will probably realize Shirahoshi is missing soon."
"Understood."
As Laliya's group discussed their plan, no one noticed the red glow emanating from a symbol on the inner lining of Shirahoshi's clothes—the same symbol as the Alucard Pirates. It seemed to be calling out to something.
Even Shirahoshi herself was unaware of it.
Far away on Arderay, the fierce battle between Alucard and Garp raged on. They had fought from the air to the ships and then from the ships to the island. A victor wouldn't be decided anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Zephyr was holding his own against Wolf and the others, maintaining a clear advantage. The Blacklight Virus was making him younger, but it came with immense risk. As he fought, Zephyr was constantly guarding against the power within him running wild.
After their mid-air collision, Alucard and Garp landed on the bows of their respective ships.
Suddenly, Alucard's expression changed slightly as he looked toward the direction of Amazon Lily.
He wouldn't have noticed a short-distance movement, but with this much travel, Alucard felt it: Shirahoshi was moving away from Amazon Lily.
Alucard was certain Hancock wouldn't have brought Shirahoshi with her. He knew Hancock was a cunning woman in battle and would never make the foolish mistake of bringing the child into a fight against Garp and Zephyr. She would have left her on the island.
Under the circumstances, with Shirahoshi moving away from the island, there could only be one explanation.
"You brat! How dare you get distracted while fighting me!" Garp suddenly appeared in front of Alucard, his fist less than half a meter from Alucard's face.
Alucard was sent flying into the sea by Garp's blow, but in less than two seconds, he burst back out of the water completely unharmed.
"You two fools. You don't even realize you're being used by the government, do you?" Alucard's body became semi-misty, as if he had a Logia-type ability, with a part of his body turning into black mist and floating in the air.
Garp's expression turned serious. He and Zephyr had been suspicious of this mission from the start. The fact that Kong hadn't been clear about the mission's true purpose had already made them uneasy.
Now, Alucard's sudden comment pushed Garp's confusion to its peak.
"Hey! You brat, explain yourself!" Garp yelled, pointing a finger at the airborne Alucard. The incomplete statement left him itching for an answer.
"Go ask those five old men in Mariejois yourself," Alucard said with a cold laugh, leaving behind a single command: "All hands, retreat."
With those four words, Alucard's body transformed into a swarm of bats and flew toward Amazon Lily.
"Hey! You brat!"
Even the battle-hardened Garp was momentarily unsure whether to pursue or stay.
His original plan was to be the one to retreat, as his side was vastly outmatched by Alucard's forces. He had been prepared to withdraw soon to save his men's lives.
But with Alucard retreating first, he was left in a dilemma.
Upon hearing Alucard's order, Stragus and Urdaha, who were exchanging cannon fire with the Marines, immediately shouted: "Captain's orders! Retreat! Retreat!"
Wolf, with his face covered in wounds, also gave up his fight with Zephyr and quickly plunged into the ocean, escaping into the depths. This caused Zephyr to halt his pursuit as well.
Garp jumped back to Zephyr's side, and Zephyr pulled out his tranquilizer, spraying it into his mouth.
"What do you think?" Garp watched the direction Alucard had left and then looked at the retreating ships of the Alucard Pirates.
"The direction Alucard went is toward the new Amazon Lily where the Kuja reside. Is it possible that the government sent us to investigate Alucard while secretly dispatching troops to attack Amazon Lily?" Garp speculated.
"If that were the case, why all the secrecy? Something is definitely off," Zephyr said, shaking his head. Garp's theory was plausible, but if it were true, why would the government be so sneaky about it? They were hiding something.
"So, what do you think we should do now…?" Garp asked, squinting his eyes.
"Our military strength is inferior. Even if you and I are fine, the soldiers behind us won't be.
There's no need to pursue," Zephyr decided instantly. "Turn the ship around and head to the new Amazon Lily. I want to see what trick the government is up to."
Garp waved his hand casually. "Well, you're better at this than me. You make the call."
....
"What did you say?! Shirahoshi was taken?!"
On her way to Arderay, Hancock received a call from one of the executives left behind on Amazon Lily, Rindo. The guards protecting Shirahoshi had all been killed, and the mermaid
princess had vanished. After an investigation, a warship moored at the shore was found to be missing, along with one of the executives, Laliya, and her dozen-plus former crewmates.
At this point, it was obvious: her damn pirate crew had a traitor.
"Which way did they go?!" In the face of her terrified crew, Hancock was clenching the Den Den Mushi so hard it was almost about to break, her teeth gritted.
"Well…if we had Viola's clairvoyance, we might…," Rindo began.
Rindo's words only infuriated Hancock more. She remembered that Viola wasn't on Amazon Lily and was with her cheap older sister on Arderay. They were out of range of the Glare-Glare Fruit's four-thousand-kilometer scope!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, an extremely piercing sound passed over Hancock's ship. Looking up, she saw hundreds of thousands of bats forming a single mass, flying at an incredible speed toward Amazon Lily.
Hancock gasped, "Ma… master!"
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