Bam!
In the mountain forests on the outskirts of Foosha Village in the East Blue, Garp sent Luffy flying with a heavy blow, snapping several large trees in the process.
Even though he was a rubber man, Luffy had long since realized that his powers were useless against Garp. He had no choice but to run for his life.
Tap, tap, tap...
Just as Garp was about to give chase and let Luffy experience another "Fist of Love," the sound of footsteps caused him to stop. Without turning around, he said, "Is that you, Issho? What's the matter?"
"Sir... Garp-san, I've just received news from Headquarters..."
As Garp listened to the rest of Fujitora's report, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally, he sat down on a nearby rock with a helpless sigh. "Is that so... Zephyr is gone too? I suppose, for him, it's a form of release."
Because of Dragon's death, the Government had bolstered the intelligence organizations tasked with monitoring the Immortal Pirates. They wanted to see if the crew intended to do anything other than hunt down the remnants of the Revolutionary Army.
The result of their investigation was what Fujitora had just reported to Garp.
Zephyr had been killed, and over a thousand members of the Trash Disposal Unit had broken away from the Immortal Pirates.
When this news reached the Marines, it caused immense grief among the many officers who had once been Zephyr's students. Yet, no one dared to seek revenge against Alucard. No one knew exactly how powerful that man had become; even Dragon had been dealt with in less than three months.
However, the fact that Dragon was Garp's son was known to only a handful of people in the Navy. Even Fujitora and Aokiji were completely in the dark.
"If it were possible, I truly wish we could bring them back into the Marines," Fujitora lamented. The "them" he referred to were naturally Ain, Binz, and the former Marine soldiers.
"That's impossible. They are already wanted pirates. Even if the Navy wanted to, the Government would never agree," Garp said. He found it regrettable, but he was powerless to change it.
"By the way, Garp-san, there is one more thing. It's about a rookie who has been making quite a name for himself lately: Portgas D. Ace..."
Hearing that name, Garp's expression stiffened. He listened intently to Fujitora's report, while privately wondering about that kid Sabo. Sabo was plenty capable; how was it that he hadn't made a name for himself after being out at sea for so long?
With his skills, it was impossible for him to have died so easily, right?
…
New World, Immortal Pirates Base — Arderay.
Alucard sat sideways on his throne, tapping the armrest. It had been nearly a month since his return to Arderay. He had stayed behind to anticipate Garp's retaliation, but to his surprise, Garp hadn't made a single move.
The man who had been known as the "Marine Mad Dog" in his youth wouldn't have backed down out of fear. The only explanation was that he was a Marine.
Because he was a Marine, and a high-ranking one at that, he could not strike out on his own. He carried too much on his shoulders to act out of personal sentiment.
This was why, in the future Summit War, he wouldn't kill Akainu or hunt down Blackbeard for Ace's sake. It was a matter of position.
"Boring."
Alucard stood up, preparing to leave the island.
After his last mission, Alucard had begun to miss the feeling of traveling alone. He had no interest in sitting in a dark castle; he preferred soaring across the sea by himself.
Just as he was preparing to set sail, a familiar string of curses reached his ears. "Stop hitting me! I told you many times when I arrived, I'm going to be a star! I will never live in someone else's shadow, not even in a Yonko's crew!"
Alucard looked toward the entrance and saw Ivalis lifting Cavendish toward the steps like he was holding a small chick. Ivalis grunted, "This isn't your decision to make."
Cavendish stumbled a few steps to steady himself. He looked up mechanically. When the figure before the throne entered his vision, he couldn't help but swallow hard, whispering in a trembling voice, "Yonko... Alucard..."
"Oh..."
Seeing Cavendish, Alucard suddenly remembered the final order he had given Ivalis before leaving Niflheim: to bring this hilarious brat back.
With a gesture to Ivalis to leave, Alucard sat back on his throne and stared silently at Cavendish. His gaze was so intense it made the younger man's skin crawl, cold sweat drenching his clothes.
"Um... why did you... bring me here?" Cavendish finally spoke up, unable to take the pressure. He felt that if he held it in any longer, he might actually wet himself.
"What's wrong? Weren't you quite talkative before?" Alucard grinned.
The moment Alucard spoke, Cavendish jumped back in fright, falling onto his backside. He pointed a finger at Alucard. "You... You're...!"
In Cavendish's eyes, Alucard's silhouette gradually merged with that of the young girl in white, leaving him utterly shocked.
He hadn't noticed before, but looking at them now, the two faces were incredibly similar, especially the eyes and the expression when they smiled.
"You once invited me to join your crew, didn't you? It shouldn't be too strange for the roles to be reversed now."
Alucard rested his face on one hand and looked at Cavendish, who had yet to recover from the shock. "Keep at it, brat."
He rose to his feet and strode out, brushing past Cavendish as he went.
Only then did Cavendish snap back to himself. He stood there, dazed.
. "I... was I just recruited by a Yonko?"
"No, no way! I'm going to be a superstar, I can't live under someone else..."
"In that case, wouldn't it have been better not to become a pirate in the first place? That way, you wouldn't have been targeted by a monster."
Alucard's eyes shifted toward him from behind his sunglasses. "Listen well, brat. You're free to leave whenever you want. But as a pirate, you must have the resolve to be killed. You can reject me, but you might not necessarily make it off this island."
Cavendish understood perfectly. Alucard was saying: Obey, or die.
"Ah..."
Cavendish's arms hung limp as he stared dumbfounded at Alucard's retreating back. He felt like he had been dragged into something incredibly troublesome.