"Hmm? What's that...?" Alucard looked up at the sky of Fish-Man Island, noticing several ships floating in the air. He realized they must be using large bubbles as engines to propel the ships, otherwise, floating in mid-air wouldn't be possible.
"This is a beautiful place, but I've had enough enjoyment on Sabaody Archipelago. Now, I'm off to the New World." Alucard lowered his gaze, using Hidden Shadow to control the giant vessel as it began to move towards the town. Ignoring the astonished gazes of the surrounding fish-men, he muttered, "But before that, I want to taste the local specialty wine of Fish-Man Island."
"Hold it! Illegal intruder!" Just as Alucard stepped off Gyoncorde Plaza and before he could lift his ship, three warning shouts came from his right.
Alucard tilted his head, his right eye peeking through his bangs, to look at the source. He saw a group of fish-men soldiers armed with tridents, sharp mouths, and clad in armor.
"It's the Ammo Knights!"
"Thank goodness, we're saved!"
Upon seeing the Royal Army, the previously agitated crowd immediately quieted down.
"What do you want?" Alucard turned to them. He wasn't familiar with the rules of Fish-Man Island, and naturally, he didn't realize that his forceful breach of the double protective bubble earlier constituted illegal entry.
"Even humans who illegally enter must..." The sharp-mouthed fish-man's words were cut short as a tall, red-skinned fish-man pulled him aside from behind.
"Hey, who are you?" The Royal Army soldier had just asked, but upon seeing the red-skinned fish-man's face, he immediately fell silent.
This was a very famous figure, the current leader of Fish-Man District, Fisher Tiger. His emergence had united Fish-Man District, significantly quieting down what was once a hub for outlaws.
Thus, even the Royal Army gave him considerable respect. Furthermore, as Fish-Man Island hadn't yet been taken over by Whitebeard, Tiger's status was even more exceptional.
"Royal Army, don't act recklessly. You're no match for this man." Tiger tossed a wanted poster to the Royal Army soldier behind him. The soldier took it and his face immediately showed alarm.
It was Alucard's wanted poster.
Dracula D. Alucard
Bounty: 200,000,000 Berries
Before the Great Pirate Era, very few pirates were able to reach Fish-Man Island, unlike the more frequent occurrences in the future. Those who made it were generally strong, but only a handful could boast bounties over 200 million.
"Does that mean you think you can beat me?" Alucard asked with interest.
He recognized Tiger as well. Fish-men had very distinctive features, and this man's striking red skin allowed Alucard to immediately identify him as Tiger, the future hero of Fish-Man Island who would be defeated by Kizaru.
However, having lived in this world for so long, Alucard held no particular preconceived notions about the original characters, as they were all living, breathing individuals.
"I'm not part of the Royal Army, so there's no need for me to fight you. However, if you intend to do anything detrimental to Fish-Man Island, consider that this is 10,000 meters deep beneath the sea, far from land." Tiger spoke very candidly.
At this time, he had not yet embarked on his adventure to the surface, and his understanding of humans mostly came from pirates who traversed the first half of the Grand Line and the New World to reach this place.
But he at least knew that Alucard would not be easy to deal with. Provoking this man simply for an illegal entry was not a good idea.
"You don't fight battles without reason?" Alucard held back the hand that wanted to draw his gun, and walked away, speaking with his back to Tiger: "A rational choice."
"Wait a moment." Alucard had only walked a few steps when he heard Tiger speak again, "Taking your ship with you like this is too conspicuous. How about leaving it in the Sea Forest to the northeast? I'll lead the way."
Alucard turned to Tiger. After a moment, he said, "That's fine."
...
Sea Forest, Northeast of Fish-Man Island.
Alucard placed his ship here, which was the regular entry point into Fish-Man Island.
Tiger, after leading Alucard to this spot, asked, "Are you entering the New World?"
"Of course, it's more interesting there," Alucard said with a light chuckle.
"Very few humans can successfully pass through the 10,000 meters of high pressure underwater to reach this place. However, coincidentally, besides you, there's another pirate crew here now. I hope you won't cause any trouble."
"Who is it?" Alucard asked with interest.
"The Ernst Pirates, led by Narud Ernst. They're troublemakers..." Tiger said, then turned to leave. "In any case, be careful. I don't want human conflicts on Fish-Man Island, understand?"
After retracting Hidden Shadow into his body, Alucard walked towards Fish-Man Island's town, a sinister glint (of blood) in his eyes beneath his sunglasses. "This island is still interesting. I wonder what will happen in the New World."
After leaving, Tiger immediately went to the Royal Palace to report Alucard's presence to the current King, Neptune, and Queen Otohime. The appearance of a pirate with a 200 million Berry bounty was no small matter.
"As long as he doesn't do anything too extreme, we'll generally ignore him," Neptune adopted his usual approach to pirates. If they could endure, they would. They wouldn't stay here anyway; they were all headed to the New World. There was no need to lose their subordinates over transient visitors. This was Neptune's consistent mindset.
Fortunately, the Great Pirate Era hadn't yet arrived, so opportunities to encounter pirates entering Fish-Man Island were rare. It was easier to turn a blind eye.
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