The heavy doors of the secret chamber swung open. The Gorosei with the long white beard, the only one previously absent, strode in and announced, "The Kuja Pirates have reached Dressrosa, the Black Thorn Pirates have occupied Missidia, and added to the territory Alucard already holds in Stupeo, he has seized five of the Twenty Founding Lands in one fell swoop!"
Upon hearing his words, the expressions of the other seven men shifted instantly. The Gorosei wearing the traditional dōgi spoke in a low, heavy voice. "If that is the case, it is inevitable that five more lights will be extinguished. We must find a way to stop this."
"Should we form a joint coalition of the Navy and the Government to launch a subjugation campaign?"
The suggestion came not from a member of the Gorosei, but from an elderly man clad in silver-white robes with a slightly curled beard. His attire gave him the air of an ancient Greek high priest.
"That would be too slow. Not long ago, Kong and the others suffered a crushing defeat; morale is at an all-time low. Meanwhile, Alucard has claimed the throne of the 'World's Strongest,' and his crew is at the peak of their influence. With such a massive disparity, how could we possibly fight?" The curly-haired Gorosei leaning on a cane voiced his opposition to the proposal.
"Are we just supposed to stand by and watch the power of the National Treasure fade away?"
This speaker was also not of the Gorosei, yet he held the status to sit among them. He was a white-haired man with a slicked-back mane, built as burly and imposing as a great ape. He spoke venemously, "I say if we don't act now, all twenty of the Founding Lands will be annihilated!"
"Calm yourself, Saint Oseinofica. Do not lose the dignity befitting us Celestial Dragons."
The final elder who was not part of the Gorosei spoke up. He wore a white suit and appeared much more ordinary than the other two. He spoke with a measured pace. "We should think of a countermeasure calmly."
"What 'good' idea do you have, Saint Nedseo?" The massive Oseinofica sat back down and questioned the man in the white suit.
From the way they addressed each other with the title "Saint," their identities were clear: Celestial Dragons!
These were the representatives of the three families among the Twenty Families that stood at the very top, those who represented the collective of the Celestial Dragons and truly shared the power of the National Treasure alongside the Gorosei.
The families of Meinfini, Oseinofica, and Nedseo.
Nedseo fell into deep thought for a few seconds before saying, "The Ryumyaku within the Founding Lands has always been installed at the core of the islands. If it's a continent-type island like Alabasta, Alucard won't be able to find the specific location for a while. We still have time."
"There is time, but how long will it last? Half a year at most."
Oseinofica snorted. "Even if we drag it out for half a year, by the time the National Treasure is mostly destroyed by Alucard and the Government loses its power, those already disobedient pirates... I suspect they will all start a rebellion."
Meinfini, dressed in the white suit, gave a slight smile. "Haven't we already completely unearthed the secret of Alucard's immortality and the mechanics of his abilities? Let's release all of that intelligence."
"You mean to..." The blonde Gorosei began to guess his intent.
"This should be enough to keep him troubled for a while. In the meantime, order the Navy to join us. We must exert every effort to raise our combat power to the limit and take down the greatest threat to this Government in its eight-hundred-year history in one single strike!" Meinfini declared, clenching his fist.
…
New World, Big Mom's Territory, Totto Land.
Watching the sinking of Cheese Island, Kuzan's reaction was less exaggerated than it had been at Juice Island. After a long while, he turned around and asked, "Why abandon territory that was so hard to obtain?"
Kuzan was addressing Alucard directly, but the latter didn't answer his question. Instead, he countered with a question of his own.
"Not afraid to die?"
The four short, threatening words made Kuzan's face turn solemn. He said in a deep voice, "There are some things that simply must be done."
He knew full well he was no match for Alucard, especially now while wearing Seastone handcuffs. A single shot to the head right now would be the end of him.
Many pirates on the ship couldn't understand what this Marine Admiral was playing at.
"Captain, a Marine Admiral is our greatest enemy." One pirate couldn't hold back and stepped forward. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We should just throw him into the sea to feed the fish."
"How cruel..." Kuzan muttered. Although his tone remained as lazy and relaxed as ever, he was actually quite nervous. The moment he put on those Seastone handcuffs, the gamble had begun.
He was wagering his life on the bet that Alucard wouldn't kill him.
Amidst the tension of the crowd, Alucard slowly opened his mouth to speak. Just a split second before he could deliver his decision, a sudden cry of seagulls rang out. Several gulls landed on the ship's deck.
Everyone looked over; it was the News Coos.
Alucard's words were interrupted. Everyone, especially Kuzan, felt as if their hearts had been ripped out, swung around three times, and then shoved back in.
This is how you get heart disease!
Alucard took a newspaper from a News Coo and began to read it, as if the matter he was about to settle was as trivial as deciding what to eat.
Seeing this, the others didn't dare to rush him. They each took a copy of today's paper from the News Coos to see for themselves.
"Th-This is...!!"
Aranea's face paled with shock. She lowered the paper in disbelief and looked toward Alucard.
The others were no better off than Aranea. One by one, they were left agape with terror, glancing toward their Captain. On the entire ship, only Alucard and Dr. Vegapunk remained composed, as if nothing had happened at all.