Less than half an hour after Beckman left, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar welcomed another new guest.
"Well, this is a rarity," Shakky said, carefully cleaning and wiping dry the glass Beckman had used, all while looking at the man entering the door. "The notorious Yonko, Alucard-san."
Alucard, who had just walked in, seemed not to have heard Shakky. He sat down to Rayleigh's right and chuckled. "You're still alive, Rayleigh?"
"These old bones of mine are still pretty tough." Rayleigh glanced sideways, then laughed at Alucard's new look. "What's with the getup?"
Having removed his long, red-brimmed fedora, his once wild hair was neatly parted, and he wore a black suit over it. He looked significantly more composed than he had in the past, yet that sense of malice and wickedness was impossible to conceal.
"Nothing. My appearance is completely irrelevant to me." Alucard smiled, not having revealed his Loli A persona yet.
He pointed at a bottle of extremely expensive red wine on the shelf behind Shakky.
"Remember to pay," Shakky said knowingly, filling a glass for Alucard and boldly adding the reminder at the end.
"Shanks is off the stage. As his former superior, don't you feel like avenging him?" Alucard swirled the red wine, his smile noncommittal.
"A pirate's life is synonymous with death, whether it's Shanks, me, or Roger." Rayleigh's tone held no anger, only a faint regret. "Besides, vengeance isn't my duty. Shanks' subordinates… Roux, Yasopp, they are the ones who will come for you, not me."
"Those guys who joined Whitebeard's banner? Interesting, indeed~"
Alucard's voice carried a rich sense of anticipation, prompting Shakky to silently call him a "monster."
After Shanks' death, the remaining elite pirates of the Red-Haired Pirates, excluding the swordsman Ivalis, including Lucky Roux, the sniper Yasopp, and Spira, the so-called "Red Dragon," had all joined the Whitebeard Pirates. For Whitebeard, acquiring so many powerful new crewmates not only proved his charisma but also strengthened the Whitebeard Pirates considerably. [1]
Initially, Lucky Roux and the others had wanted to elect Beckman as their new Captain and form a new pirate crew, but Beckman insisted he was only fit to be a First Mate and refused the offer of Captaincy, leading to his current state of dejection.
"Will you personally take part in this Devil Fruit scramble, Alucard-san?" Shakky lit a new cigarette and inquired.
"I am merely enjoying a trip," Alucard replied, implying he wasn't interested in the conflict, though who could ever be sure with him?
After exchanging a few more words with Rayleigh, Alucard paid and left. Rayleigh finished the last of his drink and sighed. "Our era is truly over."
…
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 33, Soap Bubble Park.
Smoothie, whose legs stretched over two meters long, sat by a fountain, enjoying a specialized juice. Her eyes were half-closed, looking lethargic. She asked her sister beside her, "Galette, what's the situation?"
"Our people are already stationed in various Groves, waiting for news. Let's just wait until we get the information." Galette, who wore a large, black velvet cloak, blinked her slender eyes.
Around them, over twenty Big Mom Pirates crew members were present. Their presence brought a deathly silence to the otherwise cheerful park, all due to the terrifying reputation of the Big Mom name.
…
Grove 44, Dock.
"Haaah~~"
Wind Calamity Queen, sitting on the Sabre-Tooth ship, yawned and asked Elburn, "Three of us won't be enough, will we? It looks like a lot of trouble has gathered." [2]
Elburn, his hands in his pockets, replied, "Setting aside the other factions, Z and Ivalis alone will be difficult to handle. Can I trouble you to take action, Wind Calamity... Queen-sama?"
"Haaah~~"
Wind Calamity Queen's yawns seemed endless. He said, "I have your Vivre Card right here. I'll decide based on my mood when you're about to die..."
A cold sweat dropped down Elburn's face. Having a superior like this was truly unlucky. Unlike Sheepshead, the ace of the Mammoth ship, Elburn genuinely possessed strength. One crucial reason was that Jack preferred to finish everything himself, leaving his subordinates with nothing to do, which led to the crew becoming increasingly dependent, eventually turning them into useless individuals like Sheepshead.
Queen, however, enjoyed making his subordinates do the work and was not proactive in intervening himself. This forced the Sabre-Tooth crew to fight personally without relying on him, which in turn made them stronger.
"I must be the one to eat the Titan Fruit," Elburn muttered, clenching his fist. He led all the crew members off the Sabre-Tooth, leaving only Queen to guard the ship, confident that nothing would happen to him.
…
Grove 51, Grassy Area.
"Long time no see, Z-san. Your Trash Disposal Unit seems to be getting bigger and bigger." Ivalis formally met with Zephyr, looking at Ain, Binz, and the large number of former Marines beside him.
"One day I might come to deal with you, Ivalis," Zephyr said, crossing his arms.
Ivalis's lips curled into a slight smile, but he quickly reverted to a poker face. "For now, let us get along. I hear you are here to prevent the Government's military power from expanding... well, it doesn't matter. Where should we attack from?"
"Grove 66 is exclusively for the World Nobles, and the security is extremely tight. However, I used to guard those bastards, the World Nobles, and I know a small path we can break through." Zephyr explained.
"I almost forgot, you used to be an Admiral..."
No sooner had Ivalis finished speaking than he heard a commotion behind him. He turned to see his subordinates parting to form a path, and a grey-haired man slowly walked toward them.
"Beck... man?"
Ivalis's exposed brow rose in surprise. He quickly walked up to the man, a look of genuine pleasure on his face. "Benn Beckman! Is that really you?"
"It's been a long time, Ivalis," Beckman managed a genuine, albeit faint, smile.
[1] I don't know who that Red Dragon Spira is. Might be OC here.
[2] Yes, Queen here isn't Plague Calamity but Wind Calamity.
[2] Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]