Two days later, inside the palace at New Amazon Lily. "I'm sorry…"
Hancock had shed her usual majestic Empress demeanor in front of outsiders. She was like a little girl who had done something wrong and was asking for punishment. The female guards around her had hearts in their eyes, inwardly gasping in awe.
"Ah… even a meek Snake Princess-sama is so cute." "She's like a little kitten. I want to pat her head."
Hancock's head was bowed so low it nearly touched her large bosom.
Shirahoshi blinked her big eyes, sensing the atmosphere. She wisely chose to stay silent and turned to look at Alucard, who was facing Hancock.
"It's fine," Alucard said flatly.
Hancock immediately looked up at his words. As Alucard walked out of the main hall, he continued, "However, you must prepare yourselves. The Government wasn't successful this time, but there will definitely be a second and a third time."
The World Government had set its sights on Shirahoshi as Poseidon. As for the source of their intelligence, Alucard could make a good guess. After all, the Government's foundation and network of informants were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
They would never sit by and let a pirate possess the Sea Princess. They would certainly launch another mission.
"I've already had Viola conduct one-on-one inspections of all the new crew members," Hancock whispered as she walked beside Alucard.
This might harm the crew's pride, but it was the best way to prevent spies.
"But the Government now knows of Shirahoshi's existence. If their attempts to seize her fail repeatedly, they may resort to the idea of eliminating her. After all, they won't let a pirate have something they can't obtain. What about keeping this child in the inner palace under strict protection?" Nyon, the Elder of the Kuja Tribe, said, emerging from behind a pillar.
"Go away, Nyon! I'm speaking with Master!" Hancock waved her hand and angrily snapped at her.
Nyon dodged to the side, looking at Alucard, hoping for his answer.
"If she's locked in a cage, when will she ever learn to control her power?"
Alucard's rhetorical question made his stance clear. He took a long stride and continued, "It doesn't matter. No matter how many times they come, I will crush them all. Hahaha…"
At the end of his sentence, Alucard couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"As expected of Master, you're so cool," Hancock said, following him with a look of pure adoration.
Nyon slapped her forehead in exasperation. "Honestly, when it comes to not thinking about consequences, those two are so alike."
Hancock walked with Alucard through the streets of New Amazon Lily. While they attracted the attention of many female residents, everyone tacitly agreed not to disturb them.
"Master, are you heading out to sea again soon?" Hancock asked proactively.
"The Government will likely be in an uproar for a while. Let's put tourism on hold for now and get some extra sleep," Alucard said, a grin on his lips.
At the word "sleep," Hancock's face flushed with a hint of embarrassment. She suddenly remembered that that wench, Scarlett, seemed to always run to Master's side whenever she
wasn't on a mission. Plus, Scarlett only handled logistics, which could be left to her subordinates. It was completely different from the Empress and Captain who had so many things to handle.
"Master, how about staying here for a while?" Hancock asked, mustering her courage.
If she could keep Alucard on New Amazon Lily, she could use her authority to stop Scarlett from getting in. I'm so smart!
"Too many people. It's loud," Alucard replied simply, walking out of town. "Oh…"
Hancock let out a sound of disappointment and then, without realizing it, sank into another daydream.
Alucard held Viola and Scarlett in his arms, one in each, and cruelly kicked me away. He raised his head and said coldly, "I'm tired of you. These two are enough."
Afterward, Viola and Scarlett gave her a look of utter disdain.
Her fantasy ended, but Hancock secretly clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. "I won't lose. I will never lose!"
After some time, when Hancock came to her senses, Alucard was already a small red dot in the distance.
Hancock shrieked and quickly chased after him.
....
A few days later, Zephyr and Garp returned to Marine Headquarters. After reporting the situation, Zephyr stood in Fleet Admiral Kong's office, expressing his deep displeasure. "So, what did those two words, 'Sea Princess,' mean that the agent uttered at the end?"
Kong had probably not seen Zephyr speak with such vehemence in decades. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he said, "The orders I received only said that your mission was a classified Government secret. Not a single word could be leaked."
"Not even to you, the Fleet Admiral?" Zephyr's face drew closer, his expression growing colder. He had lost over 600 of his students! Six hundred!
Under Zephyr's questioning, Kong felt an inexplicable pressure but still grit his teeth. "…That's right. They didn't reveal a single thing to me."
"Hmph!"
Zephyr's teeth nearly ground into dust. What was this? The deaths of over 600 students, the new blood of the Marines, were unexplained? They didn't even know what objective they had died for!
At that moment, Garp, who had been sitting on the couch, couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and said to Zephyr, "Don't be so angry, Zephyr. That brat Alucard also said that you're on the verge of your power running wild."
Zephyr took a sharp intake of breath at the words and took two steps back. "I can guess a little bit about what's going on, and I'm sure you two can too. If the Government calls for another mission like this, I will refuse."
"Zephyr, don't be so emotional!" Kong shouted, standing up.
"I'm perfectly calm," Zephyr's face was unruffled. "But I want to say this: Alucard may seem to be the weakest of the Yonko right now, but if the trump card he holds is real, he'll surpass Whitebeard in a few years. The Marines should naturally do everything in their power to stop him, but if we continue to obey the Government's orders, the Marines will be finished." With that, Zephyr turned and left without looking back.
"Zephyr! Zephyr! Hey!" Kong called out several times but couldn't stop him.
"The only reason he stayed here was for the sake of justice," Garp said, for once speaking seriously.
"And you?" Kong turned to him.
Garp immediately returned to his usual flighty self. "This old man just has nowhere else to go! Hahahaha!"