A few hours after Alucard departed, pirate crews patrolling the waters near Arderay saw a large ship bearing the Beasts Pirates' dual-horned skull flag slowly approaching.
Considering that Kaido had just been taken away by Alucard, the captain was definitely not aboard. The leader of the crew would, at best, be one of the Three Disasters.
Despite this, the Immortal Pirates showed no fear, immediately rallying five of their surrounding warships to confront the Mammoth, the vessel Jack was aboard.
Seeing the five warships obstructing his path, Jack slapped his knee and rose to the bow of the ship. He looked across and saw Fallon, the user of the Zoan-type Hedgehog Fruit for the Immortal Pirates, and the blond Ivalis, who defected to the Immortal Pirates after the death of Shanks, standing at the opposing ship's bow.
"What's wrong with Boss Kaido?"
Apart from the fact that the two crews were already enemies, Jack's condescending tone alone irritated Ivalis and the others.
Who do you think you are? Our superior?
Ivalis's already poker-straight face darkened further upon hearing Jack's question. He drew his sword and responded with a single strike of sword energy.
The sword energy charged fiercely, but Jack remained unfazed. He raised his right hand, instantly coating it with Armament Haki, and blocked the strike head-on. After a two-second stalemate, he angrily flung his hand, sending the sword energy roaring into the clouds.
Use action whenever possible, avoid pointless talk.
After Jack deflected the sword energy, Ivalis didn't give the other side a chance to speak, pointing his saber directly at Jack. His intentions were clear.
"Attack!"
With a single command, both sides opened fire.
Jack treated anyone below the level of a Yonko with utter contempt. Even though he was deep in Alucard's territory and facing overwhelming disadvantages in terms of military strength, he showed no intention of retreating. He waved his massive hand, ordering his subordinates to attack.
Zephyr, who was talking with Ain and the others, heard the commotion from the coast. He rose from the rock he was using as a seat and walked to the shore for a look. He murmured, "The Beasts Pirates?"
"Zephyr-sensei..." Ain approached him.
"Don't call me that anymore. I told you I don't use that name, didn't I?" Zephyr sighed, then turned his head. "Let's continue our discussion. Fighting forces of the Beasts' caliber won't even be able to land on the island."
…
During the time Alucard and Kaido were fighting, Law and the Heart Pirates were no longer in the New World. They were roaming and training in the first half of the Grand Line.
Inside the submarine, Law rested his hands, crossed, behind his head, his legs propped up on the control panel. He was half-asleep with his eyes slightly closed, deep in thought.
"Captain, Captain, we'll be at Masuka soon."
From the doorway at the back of the room, Bepo, the navigator and mascot of the Heart Pirates, leaned out halfway to report.
"Good. Prepare to dock. Bring Skrum's corpse."
Law gave a cruel smile. Skrum, a pirate with a bounty of 116 million Berries, had been killed by Law recently and subjected to gruesome experiments.
Now, the Heart Pirates were facing a financial crisis, and Law planned to exploit the last remaining value of the corpse.
Masuka appeared to be a rather chaotic but otherwise unremarkable small island on the surface. However, Law, who was once a subordinate of Doflamingo and a member of the Donquixote Pirates, had been here before and had a substantial understanding of the local rules.
The Heart Pirates' submarine surfaced. Nobody noticed that the pirate flag tied to the fore and aft masts, one of which belonged to a Yonko crew, was not their own.
Law led Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, and nearly ten other Heart Pirates crew members into Masuka Town. Bepo was carrying a sleeping bag on his back, though no one would guess it actually contained a corpse.
"It's so chaotic." Shachi couldn't help but complain, seeing the constant quarrels breaking out around them.
"It's still not as terrifying as back at 'Z,' though," Penguin chimed in.
Hearing this, everyone in the Heart Pirates nodded vigorously twice. Zephyr's training had truly been hellish.
Suddenly, Law stopped in front of them and said with his back turned to his subordinates, "It's here."
Bepo and the other crew members stopped as well. They looked ahead, their faces flushing in embarrassment. The place was built of extremely ordinary, yellowed clay tiles. It had the standard male and female symbols painted on the sides, and a constant foul odor perfectly described the establishment: a public restroom.
Seemingly oblivious to his crew's mortification, Law walked up the steps and entered the men's room.
Just as he stepped inside, Bepo suddenly shuddered, tossed the sleeping bag on his back to Shachi, and rushed to one of the urinals to relieve himself, letting out a satisfied groan. "Ah... it came on suddenly..."
Just then, Law walked to the innermost part of the room, pushed on one of the wall tiles, and an hidden door instantly appeared to the right of Bepo's urinal. Candlelight faintly illuminated the passage inside, but they could only see steps leading endlessly downward.
"Whoa!!"
Startled by the sudden appearance of the hidden door, Bepo tumbled onto the floor. The other crew members of the Heart Pirates grimaced and muttered, "Zip up your fly!!"
"Let's go."
Law, ever a man of few words, was the first to enter the hidden door. The others quickly followed, naturally including Bepo, who hastily zipped up his fly and chased after them.
After all the Heart Pirates had entered, the hidden door rotated, concealing itself perfectly once more.
"By the way, Captain, how did you know the location of the black market trade point?"
Midway down the stairs, Penguin couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Law.
Law paused, recalling his past experiences as a member of the Donquixote Pirates. After a moment, he replied, "Well... for various reasons."
'That's basically saying nothing...' everyone thought internally, but they were wise enough not to pry further.
Upon passing through the second hidden door, all the Heart Pirates felt as though they had entered a completely new world. Even Law's expression was quite surprised, clearly not having anticipated what lay before him.