After Barbaricia fell under the rule of the "Minister of Juice," Charlotte Smoothie, the city underwent a massive transformation. It became a place where juice flowed everywhere; from the outside, it looked like a dreamscape from a fairy tale. It was renamed "Juice Island."
Only a tiny fraction of people knew that the juice flowing like rivers through the city was created at the cost of human lives.
The 14th daughter of the Charlotte Family, Charlotte Smoothie, a member of the Longleg Tribe, sat in her private chambers. She held a large wine glass filled with juice, took a delicate sip, and then furrowed her brows. "No... as I thought, juice made from men is simply not delicious, whether they are adults or children."
"Then, Smoothie-sama, shall we proceed as usual?"
Beside her, a petite woman in her thirties or forties bowed her hunched frame, smiling subserviently as she requested instructions.
"Mm," Smoothie replied flatly. "Dump them all into the rivers of Juice Town. Consider it 'purifying the air.'"
Because the juice was created by Smoothie's ability, she technically had the power to restore them to normal, but she chose not to. Instead, she used them as mere decorations for her city. It was cruel, but that was the reality of being a pirate.
Dooo—wuuu—!!
Hearing the alarm blare from outside, Smoothie and her attendants stiffened. That was the Pirate Alarm, meaning an enemy had invaded the island.
While such things rarely happened, the chains binding the sea had vanished with Whitebeard's passing. Nowadays, any kind of pirate might crawl out of the woodwork, including plenty of fools who thought they could take a Yonko's head to become famous overnight. The Big Mom Pirates had taken down many such idiots lately.
Smoothie strode out of her chambers, her subordinates scurrying after her.
"Which crew is it? To force their way in here, they must have some skill."
Juice Island was on the outer edge of Totto Land, but to reach it, one had to pass through at least three other islands ruled by Ministers. Since the alarm on Juice Island was ringing, it meant the previous three Ministers had fallen, or at the very least, had let the enemy slip past.
Yet, Smoothie's lazy tone suggested she didn't view the intruders as a threat. And why should she? She was a great pirate with a bounty of over 900 million berries, ranking among the top female pirates in the world.
"W-we don't know yet! Contact has been lost with the Ministers of Jam, Sugar, and Breadcrumbs on the first three islands!" one of her subordinates reported nervously.
Smoothie narrowed her left eye, which wasn't covered by her bangs. "So they've all been defeated..."
BOOM!!!
At that moment, a violent explosion and a wave of commotion erupted from the city gates. Smoothie looked up to see a plume of smoke rising over ten meters high. She could vaguely see the guards of Juice Town being sent flying into the air.
Looking closer through the smoke, several black hounds covered in blood-red eyes were sprinting toward her. Their maws were wide open, saliva trailing from their fangs, as they let out savage, guttural barks.
"What are those? Those dogs..."
Smoothie's first instinct was to wonder what kind of Devil Fruit power this was. Her subordinates were faster, stepping in front of her and drawing their weapons. "Watch out, Smoothie-sama!"
As the words fell, they opened fire. Bullets riddled the bodies of the black hounds.
But even as the lead tore their flesh to ribbons, it failed to slow the rabid beasts. The hounds pounced, pinning the subordinates to the ground, snapping necks and tearing into flesh.
"Hmph!"
Smoothie gave a cold snort. A faint, eerie light rose from her left hand. With a wave, a mist spread out, settling over both the hounds and her own subordinates.
Sensing this aura, the subordinates who hadn't died yet let out terrified pleas for mercy.
"Smoothie-sama! S-stop! Please stop!"
"Wait! No! NOOO!"
"WAAAAAGH!!"
Following their screams, their bodies were wrung dry like mummies, leaving nothing but desiccated husks on the ground. It wasn't as flashy as Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit, but the result was much the same.
"Huh!?"
Smoothie's pupils shrank in shock as she saw the black hounds standing completely unharmed.
Why didn't they turn into juice?
"...These dogs have no lives. They are not subject to your ability."
Suddenly, Alucard's body slowly rose from a pool of blood on the ground, his arms spread wide. "Or is your power limited to this?"
"Alucard!?"
The residents of Juice Town and the pirates under Smoothie's command were struck with pure terror. Why was this man, the one who had ascended to the top after Whitebeard's death, here of all places?
The laziness in Smoothie's eyes vanished instantly. She gritted her teeth. "Why are you here?"
Alucard was not one for explanations. Explaining things took far too much time, and he was too lazy for idle chatter.
"Give me this island, or shall we have a go at it?"
He didn't think much of a mere executive under Charlotte Linlin, but Kaido's mid-battle flight had left Alucard feeling somewhat unfulfilled. He was itching for a fight.
"The seas are already in chaos without Whitebeard. If a war breaks out now, it will jeopardize the Yonko's rule over the New World. Do you really want to break the balance?" Smoothie asked, her face pale.
"Hehe."
Alucard didn't answer with words. That single laugh was all the attitude he needed to show.
Smoothie was torn. She knew the vast difference in strength between them; fighting would likely lead to her death. But if she didn't fight, if she fled without a struggle, Mama would surely turn her wrath upon her.
Smoothie had seen Big Mom dispose of "losers" too many times. She never thought the day would come when she would become one of them.