"A total of over four thousand Marines, led by Ain, a Seaman First Class, and Binz, a Seaman Apprentice, have departed for Arderay. Additionally, here is the latest news regarding the Beasts Pirates."
In the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the man seated here was no longer Kong, but Sengoku.
Sengoku took the file from his subordinate and opened it. The report primarily concerned two major issues.
The first was the turmoil within the military after the exposure of Zephyr becoming a pirate. Over four thousand Marines had abandoned their posts, forming a group to travel to Arderay in hopes of finding Zephyr.
A rough tally showed that the group consisted mainly of Zephyr's last few batches of students, but none held high ranks. The highest rank was only that of a Captain. While a blow to the Marines, it was not unacceptable.
The second issue concerned the consequences of falsely reporting that the four Road Poneglyphs were in the hands of the Yonko. The reactions of the Yonko were now clear.
Whitebeard recalled all his fleets scattered across the world back to his territory to form an impenetrable fortress, ensuring no one would dare attack the Whitebeard Pirates.
Big Mom responded with violence, simply retaliating against attacks. People died, so she would just replace them with new personnel, a simple and brutal approach.
Alucard's method was somewhat similar to Big Mom's, but with a focus on defense: if they could win, they'd fight to the death; if they couldn't, they'd retreat first and then look for an opportunity to strike back.
Kaido... he would never understand the meaning of "defense." According to the latest intelligence, he was already swimming towards Alucard's territory. He had almost certainly fallen for the trap and was attempting to seize the Poneglyph he believed Alucard possessed.
However, neither the Government nor the Marines knew whether Alucard truly possessed a Poneglyph. Their initial message had been a complete fabrication, meant solely to incite infighting among the pirates.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku truly lives up to the title of the Strategist. In less than a week, reports show that over thirty pirate crews have been utterly defeated by the Yonko," a civilian officer praised.
"Hmph. Those easily defeated are merely small fry. The truly powerful trash are still watching and waiting." Sengoku put the document down and slammed his hand on the desk. "Send out the order immediately: watch Alucard's territory closely. The clash between him and Kaido this time will not be a mere sparring match. When two tigers fight, one is bound to be wounded."
…
When Zephyr arrived, having heard the commotion from his subordinates, he saw two ruined Marine warships in the distance.
Although Binz and his companions had managed to reach the shore after a monumental effort, they had forgotten that the island's defense was even more overwhelming. The clash lasted less than ten minutes before all their main combatants were knocked to the ground.
"Stop right there!" Zephyr roared, causing Ivalis, who was preparing to deliver a killing blow to the fallen Ain, to halt his blade. The tip of the rapier was less than two centimeters from Ain's throat.
"Zephyr, what are you doing? Are you letting old sentiment get in the way?" Although Ivalis said this, he shifted his sword away from Ain's throat.
"S-Sensei!"
Ain looked at Zephyr. His buzz-cut hair was angrily spiked up like a hedgehog, his upper body was bare, and he wore a black greatcoat over black military trousers and boots—a stark contrast to his appearance in the Navy.
He was Z from the wanted poster, and also her revered Sensei, Zephyr.
"Ain, Binz, and..." Although he had fought the Marines countless times before, Zephyr couldn't help but sigh when he looked at these people.
Unlike the original story, Ain and Binz, who had not experienced the bloodshed caused by Edward Weevil, could not understand Zephyr's current actions. However, the deep respect in their hearts for Zephyr compelled them to abandon everything and come here.
"..."
ROOARRR!
Just as Zephyr began to speak, a violent commotion erupted from the sea. Turning to look, they could vaguely see intense waves surging one after another, as a mysterious being rapidly approached the island.
"Could that be..."
Iron Mask Matthew narrowed his eyes. Having experienced this many times before, he had a rough idea of what it was.
"Everyone move your ships! Notify the Captain immediately!"
Upon receiving the order, the various ships that had been patrolling the sea immediately scattered, clearing a path for the rapidly approaching entity. The veteran crew members, especially those like Matthew, already knew exactly what was coming.
BANG!!!
A deafening sound rang out, and the island's shore shook violently. Ain, who was just getting up, stumbled and fell back to the ground.
A colossal hand grasped the shoreline, and the true identity of the intruder was revealed: Kaido of the Beasts!
"A-Ah..." The Marines who had dared to invade Arderay were collectively terrified, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground. This was Alucard's territory, and now Kaido had shown up? What was going on?
"Kaido of the Beasts, are you here to cause trouble again?" Matthew stepped forward and inquired.
During Alucard's time residing in Arderay, the two Yonko had clashed no less than a hundred times, so much so that many of the veteran crew members were used to it and felt no fear, though a sense of caution still remained.
"Don't waste my time. Hand over the Poneglyph!" Kaido extended a hand in a demanding gesture.
Zephyr was also startled. He took two steps forward. "That's a trick by Sengoku to make pirates fight among themselves. Can't you see through it, Kaido?"
"I don't care what you say! Just hand over the thing!" Kaido was utterly unreasonable, or rather, if he were reasonable, he wouldn't be Kaido.
"How amusing. Good, I haven't fought you yet." Since becoming a pirate, Zephyr's temper had also worsened, likely influenced by the other members of the Immortal Pirates.
Kaido's dragon whiskers twitched, and he said with interest, "You want to die? I'll oblige you."
Inside the castle, Alucard, who learned of Kaido's arrival via Den Den Mushi, rubbed his forehead and sneered, "A madman actually delivered himself to my doorstep."
When he first saw the news, he wondered which fool would come to provoke him. He never expected the first one to arrive would be the mad dog, Kaido.