On Bannila Island, a territory of the Beasts Pirates.
"Gulp... Gulp... Gulp..."
After chugging several liters of sake, Kaido slammed the bottle heavily onto a nearby stone surface. He roared up at the sky, then demanded, "Where's the information I asked for?"
A subordinate with a pair of pointed horns on his head quickly stepped forward and reported to Kaido, "We've checked through the black market. One of the two Devil Fruits the Immortal Pirates want is in the hands of the Emperor of the Underworld, Gildo Tesoro."
"Then where is he now?" Kaido snorted.
"That... is still under investigation."
No sooner had the subordinate finished speaking than Kaido violently drew the spiked club from his back and swung it. "Damn it! Get a move on and find him!"
Though Kaido's swing was fierce, the subordinate was clearly not a pushover. At the critical moment, he activated his Armament Haki for defense. In the eyes of an outsider, it looked like Kaido had sent him flying with a single blow, but in reality, aside from being in some pain, he was perfectly fine.
Which Yonko crew lacked capable talent?
"That man might have already entered the New World. Our influence in the first half of the Grand Line isn't strong, so it's taking up more time. Also, the Immortal Pirates are already making their move."
The subordinate was smashed against the wall by Kaido's club, but half a minute later, he walked out unharmed.
"Whatever that Immortal bastard wants, it's definitely not simple! I must have it!"
Setting aside the fact that Kaido viewed Alucard as his nemesis, his dream was to form the strongest army composed entirely of Devil Fruit users. If he saw such a powerful Devil Fruit and didn't snatch it, would he even be Kaido?
"You just got out of prison. Alucard was the one who threw you in there, don't you remember?"
Most members of the Beasts Pirates were secretly worried. Kaido had just been defeated by Alucard over the Road Poneglyph and thrown into Impel Down. Now, not long after escaping, he wanted to snatch the Devil Fruits that Alucard was interested in.
Was he deliberately trying to pick a fight with Alucard?
The executive, Garuca Elburn, who, like Jack, had a pair of horns, though much shorter and curved backward instead of outward, stepped forward. He looked up and asked Kaido, "If we truly manage to seize that Devil Fruit, who will eat it, Boss?"
"Elburn, I recall you're not a Devil Fruit user yet, are you?" Kaido squinted, looking at the man who had just taken his club attack.
Garuca Elburn, the ace of the Beasts Pirates' Sabre-Tooth ship and one of the executives ranked just below the Three Disasters, held a bounty of 760,000,000 Berries.
"That is correct. I hope you'll make a note of your subordinates' abilities." Elburn's tone was casual, a privilege earned solely through his strength.
"Then the Fruit in the hands of that Te… Ta…Te-whatever will be yours. You and Wind will go together!" Kaido decided.
"That sounds good. I heard the Immortal Pirates have sent out the former Red-Haired Pirates combatant, Ivalis the Blond." Elburn clenched his fists. "If the Devil Fruit is that powerful, I have no objections. Wind Calamity-sama and I will go."
He still felt a degree of apprehension toward Alucard, but if it was just a subordinate, who wouldn't want to try for such a powerful Devil Fruit? Especially since Elburn himself was capable.
The Beasts Pirates were making their move!
…
"The Beasts Pirates have made a move, also for your Devil Fruit. Wind Calamity, one of the Three Calamities, and the Sabre-Tooth Ace, Garuca Elburn, are heading out."
At the entrance to the New World, Sabaody Archipelago's Auction House, which also served as the current main base for the Donquixote Pirates, Doflamingo was lounging in a chair, tongue extended, analyzing the situation for Tesoro, who sat opposite him.
"The Gold-Gold Fruit you stole was originally intended for one of Alucard's subordinates. He has no reason to let you go. Now, the Beasts Pirates, whose dream is to create an army of Devil Fruit users, have also gotten involved. Take one wrong step, Tesoro, and you're dead."
Tesoro crossed his arms and did not refute. His current situation was extremely critical. He was being squeezed to death between the two behemoths, the Immortal and the Beasts.
After a moment of silence, Tesoro smiled. He looked up and said, "Joker, don't always talk about me. You're not doing so well yourself, are you?"
Doflamingo's expression changed, his smile faltering. Tesoro continued, "I found out that the eavesdropping brat we ran into in Masuka was once your subordinate. But for some reason, he betrayed you and vowed to take revenge."
Tesoro spread his hands on the back of the sofa. "Don't tell me you're not worried that the brat might kneel before Alucard at any moment, crying and begging for help with his revenge. If that happens... you won't be having an easy time either, will you, Heavenly Yaksha?"
A vein pulsed on Doflamingo's temple. "How do you know that?"
"A lovely maid spoke everything when I asked her a little bit. She was so adorable!" Tesoro laughed triumphantly.
Doflamingo suppressed his anger. "That idiot, Baby 5..."
"We're both in the same boat, so stop mocking me. Right now, both of us should be figuring out a way to weather this storm together, shouldn't we, Heavenly Yaksha-san?"
Doflamingo, always full of schemes, snorted coldly, stopped mocking Tesoro, and quickly came up with a counter-strategy.
"There are two options for you to choose from."