After leaving his "hometown," Alucard arrived in the nearest nation: Hydra, one of the four great kingdoms of the North Blue.
Joris, Harald, Hydra, and Cages. These four nations commanded the vastest territories in the North Blue. Although they were all member nations of the World Government, they frequently engaged in private warfare and were collectively known as the Four Kingdoms of the North Blue.
It wasn't until Alucard arrived in Hydra that he learned one of these kingdoms, Cages, had been destroyed two or three months ago. The ruling Basil Royal Family had been wiped out along with it.
"The Basil Royal Family... isn't that...?"
Walking the streets in the form of Loli A, Alucard overheard various accounts of the North Blue's recent upheaval. The official reason given for Cages's fall was internal strife, though specific details remained undisclosed.
However, the three surviving kings had decided to hold a summit in the near future to discuss the matter.
Inside the Hydra Kingdom's conference room, the kings of Joris and Harald had arrived for the royal summit.
"Cages has been plagued by religious conflicts for years, but without a powerful force intentionally intervening, it would be absolutely impossible for the nation to simply... vanish," King Cnut of Harald spoke first. He pointed out the core issue: the severe religious friction that had defined Cages for years.
"I've heard some rumors myself."
"The fact that Hawkins, a son of the royal family and a Christian, ran off to become a pirate... doesn't that suggest something deeper?" the King of Hydra mused.
Despite their speculations, their intelligence was insufficient. None of them knew the true cause of Cages's collapse. It was precisely this ignorance that fueled their panic, a fear so great it forced them to set aside old grudges and gather at the negotiating table.
"I have some information."
The newly crowned King of Joris, Noctis, who looked to be in his late forties, spoke up. "The accumulation of religious conflict was the fuse, but the ones who lit the powder keg were a group calling themselves the 'Neo Revolutionary Army.'"
The moment Noctis spoke, the other two kings snapped their attention toward him. "Explain. In detail."
Suddenly, a figure phased through the very wall of the conference room. The terrified screams of the guards drew everyone's eyes to the intruder.
"Why don't you tell me about it, too?"
Cnut took one look at the intruder, and his elderly body, already with one foot in the grave, began to tremble.
Alucard!
He hadn't aged a single day!
The greatest event in Cnut's life wasn't his coronation or his governance; it was the fact that twenty-six years ago, he had hired a pirate. That pirate's name was "Alucard." To this day, the people of Harald discussed it over dinner, but Cnut never imagined Alucard would appear before him again.
"That's... one of the Yonko who rules the New World."
"Did he just walk through the wall? Is he a rumored Devil Fruit user?"
"What do we do now?"
The soldiers guarding the room whispered amongst themselves, gripping their weapons tightly, though deep in their eyes was nothing but sheer terror. Alucard narrowed his eyes at the three kings, his gaze landing directly on Noctis. "Well? Keep talking."
Noctis, who had been composed just moments ago, felt a chill run down his spine under Alucard's scrutiny. He braced himself and continued, "My source was a subordinate who happened to be there. He reported that on the night of the great riot in Cages, a conflict broke out between the Catholic and Protestant factions of the state religion. That wasn't unusual in itself, but then a group calling themselves the 'Neo Revolutionary Army' appeared and manufactured the chaos..."
Noctis paused, looking hesitantly at Alucard. "After that... I truly don't know anything else."
The Neo Revolutionary Army?
Alucard mused. It didn't matter what name they used; the Revolutionary Army was the Revolutionary Army. Dragon was dead, so this must be the work of that kid, Sabo.
"They certainly love causing trouble..." Alucard thought to himself. He prepared to turn into a shadow and meld back into the wall.
"Phew..."
"Report!"
Just as Alucard was about to leave and everyone was preparing to breathe a sigh of relief, a minister dressed in civil robes burst into the room clutching a document. "An emergency summons from the World Government!"
Alucard paused, his eyes reflecting a hint of curiosity as he looked at the document in the minister's hand. The three kings, meanwhile, were nearly driven insane by this idiot's timing. Could you not have waited just a few seconds until this monster left?!
…
Meanwhile, having failed in his surprise raid on Bannila Island, Borsalino returned to Marineford to report. Although he was known for slacking off on missions, this time he had a legitimate excuse.
Kaido had arrived; he had to retreat.
It was a perfect excuse. Sengoku knew the "Yellow Monkey" hadn't given it his all, but even at full strength, the mission was impossible under those circumstances. He didn't press further.
However, just as Sengoku was about to assign Borsalino a new task, a message arrived from the government. They had granted the Fish-Man race the right to move freely within member nations of the World Government.
In plain terms, it was a protection of the Fish-Men's right to live on land, at least within the territories of member states.
Sengoku was utterly stunned.
He had heard that Queen Otohime of the New Fish-Man Island remained unsatisfied even after securing land territory. She wanted to further the peaceful development between Fish-Men and humans by applying for land-dwelling protection rights from the World Government, but the higher-ups had always ignored her.
As the representative of the Marines, Sengoku had no personal objection, but it wasn't his call.
Just a short while ago, news had come in that the Immortal Pirates had destroyed the Marine branch under construction on the Sky Island, and now this news arrives?
What on earth is the Government playing at?