The chapter number above is the correct chapter number.
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"Shirahoshi, I leave it to you."
As Alucard's words fell, the head of Wolf the beast popped out of the sea beside the Dragon Ship. Seated atop it was a girl who looked to be only eight years old, provided one ignored her enormous body size and the large red fish tail replacing her legs.
Shirahoshi was now eight years old. Her unique pink hair was pulled up into a slightly curly ponytail. Dressed in a child's halter top and pure white ribbons, she looked as docile and soft as a pet. However, the members of the Kuja Pirates knew best how terrifying this "mascot" truly was.
"Oh... oh, but I don't want to kill anyone..." Shirahoshi, sitting on top of Wolf's head, moved in front of Alucard and spoke pitiably.
Although her tendency to cry was gone, her personality was largely the same as in the original story.
"Then just stop them." Alucard didn't bother to force Shirahoshi to kill Shanks, knowing that even if he tried, it wouldn't work. Rather than coercing her, he preferred to use the power of Shanks's crew to fill the River of Death.
"Yes, yes."
Shirahoshi quickly nodded. She then pressed her hands together at her chest, and a mysterious power emanated from her body.
Half a minute later, with booming poff, poff sounds, gigantic creatures continuously surged out of the sea. Sea Kings of various forms surrounded the entire sea in less than a minute, so numerous they were impenetrable. Among them were many Sea Kings whose size was not inferior to, and in some cases, surpassed, Wolf's.
"Whoa, whoa! That's enough! Enough!"
Viola, standing nearby, hastily stopped her, causing Shirahoshi to cease the release of her power, preventing any new Sea Kings from gathering.
"What is this? The sheer number of Sea Kings!"
The faces of several crew members on the Immortal Pirates' warships changed drastically at the sight. Many of them hadn't operated with the Kuja in a long time and weren't even aware of Shirahoshi's existence. Seeing this scene suddenly nearly scared them witless.
"Excellent, you're becoming more proficient," Alucard chuckled softly. "Heh-heh..."
Shirahoshi scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "The Poseidon Unit is launching."
Viola called out to a Kuja ship on the right side of the Dragon Ship.
Immediately, the people on the ship skillfully jumped onto the nearest Sea King, tying ropes onto the bizarre creatures, which had the heads of ostriches and the bodies of sea serpents.
Their practiced movements clearly showed they had done this more than once.
The Poseidon Unit, as the name suggests, is a team centered around the Sea God, Poseidon, in other words, Shirahoshi, with Viola, a user of the Glare-Glare Fruit, as her pseudo-First Mate.
Because Shirahoshi herself knows no fighting techniques aside from Observation Haki, she requires the help of Viola, the incredible telephoto lens, to help her avoid various dangers.
This Unit is now a force arguably not inferior to their Captain, Hancock. "Let's go."
Viola took Shirahoshi's hand and returned to her ship. Pulled by the Sea Kings, the ship sailed in the direction indicated by the Vivre Card at a speed far exceeding all of Alucard's other vessels.
"Alucard, this is a fine wine I bought on a new island. Should I pour you a glass?" Viola had left, but her sister, Scarlett, approached Alucard with a bottle of expensive red wine in her hand.
"Scarlett, you get away from him, you rascal!" In less than two seconds, Hancock's furious voice was transmitted from another ship bearing the Kuja Pirates' symbol nearby.
....
The Calm Belt, the passage from the New World to the North Blue.
Shanks, First Mate Benn Beckman, swordsman Ivalis, and others of the Red-Hair Pirates burst out of the Red Force, instantly knocking down the five giant Sea Kings that were blocking their ship.
Just as Ivalis was about to land a heavy strike with his sword, Beckman shouted to stop him. "Ivalis, don't kill them! The blood will attract new Sea Kings! The more you kill, the more endless they become, have you forgotten?"
Hearing Beckman's warning, Ivalis retracted his long, thin tachi. He only used the blunt side of his blade to knock the Sea Kings unconscious before jumping back onto the Red Force.
"There are so many Sea Kings even without blood being spilled. No wonder, apart from the Marines who have warships capable of crossing the Calm Belt, no one dares to cut straight through it," Ivalis shook his head, his expression highly irritated.
Nearly a full day had passed since entering the Calm Belt, and it had been spent essentially in the never-ending task of fighting Sea Kings.
"We could steal a Marine battleship, but I'm too fond of this ship that's been with us for so long," Beckman patted the ship's rail, speaking with reluctance.
Ivalis stopped complaining. "I was just talking, don't worry about it." Shanks's eyes narrowed. "They're coming again," he warned.
"Hey, hey, we haven't even caught our breath yet."
Hearing Shanks, Ivalis couldn't help but complain again. To prevent blood from spilling and attracting new Sea Kings, they dared not use cannons and had to fight them personally. But even so, the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt were simply too numerous.
"We'll help too."
At this point, over a dozen non-Devil Fruit users from the Red-Hair Pirates grabbed their weapons, ready to join the fight against the Sea Kings.
One by one, the Sea Kings leaped out of the sea. One, two, three... seven creatures.
Ten, twenty...
The further they went, the more the Red-Hair Pirates were terrified, their jaws nearly dropping to the deck. Even for the Calm Belt, this was utterly ridiculous!
Yassop, the sniper with excellent eyesight, reported, "It's over thirty, and the number is still increasing."
"Different types of Sea Kings are gathering, as if they're being summoned," Beckman said, looking around gravely. "Shanks, do you remember what happened when we first went to Arderay?"
Shanks's expression changed. He remembered—it was the time their crew was surrounded by a massive swarm of deep-sea Sea Kings in the Arderay sea region, costing them a quarter of their men.
"Ah~"
Yassop, whose hearing was as sharp as his eyesight, suddenly caught a clear, high-pitched singing voice. He used the telescope on his sniper rifle to look in the direction of the singing. A few nautical miles away, he could vaguely make out the symbol of a pirate ship.
"Captain, that's the symbol of the Kuja Pirates, subordinates of the Immortal Pirates!" Yassop announced, pulling his face away from the scope.