Under the overall direction of Dr. Vegapunk, the Immortal Pirates had mobilized for a collective mission to destroy the remaining ten Royal Lands. Of these, three had already been obliterated. Kuzan had assisted in these operations, utilizing his freezing abilities to evacuate the original inhabitants.
However, this provided only a temporary reprieve from disaster. These people had lost their homes, their lands, and their very foundations. Forced to start over in strange, new territories, the mortality rate soared above 50%.
"As long as the Government falls, what does it matter if they suffer a little?"
This was the sentence Kuzan heard most frequently within the crew lately.
It wasn't just Keith Fallon or Bartolomeo, Alucard's die-hard loyalists, who felt this way. Even those like him, who had once served the Government and the Navy before being claimed by Alucard, namely Dr. Vegapunk and Aranea Highwind, offered the same answer.
The Government had fallen, yet Alucard still insisted on destroying the Royal Lands. Kuzan had long since realized that Alucard's goals were entirely self-serving.
But what about the innocent people?
Kuzan wrestled with this question constantly.
Should I unite the remaining Marines and revolt against Alucard?
That was even more impossible. Right now, anyone who stood in Alucard's way was marked for death, including the Navy and the Government forces led by Kong.
It was then that the appearance of Issho, Momousagi, and the others gave Kuzan an idea.
Unite the remnants of the Navy and surrender to Alucard.
The thought sounded insane, but upon reflection, there was a grim logic to it. If you can't win, you either run, surrender, or wait to die. Waiting for death was out of the question, and where could they possibly run? Moreover, as Marines dedicated to maintaining justice and peace, could they run?
When Kuzan finished explaining his plan, the gathered former Marines fell into a dead silence. After a long while, Momousagi was the first to speak. "You've lost your mind, Kuzan."
"I will do what I must. What you choose to do is your own business." Kuzan's face remained stoic. "Just stop thinking about fighting him."
With that, Kuzan grabbed a bottle of liquor and walked out. He pushed open the bar doors and quickly vanished from sight.
…
In the first half of the Grand Line, one of the twenty Royal Lands formerly ruled by the Celestial Dragons: Ursaharo.
The island had been conquered effortlessly by the Kuja Pirates. Unlike the islands visited by Kuzan, this Royal Land had no savior. As the Ryumyaku core shattered, the island began to groan with the sound of a world-shaking tremor.
Countless souls flooded into the Soul of the River Styx. However, the River Styx served primarily as a supplementary ability; its practical utility was far inferior to the River of Death. For Alucard, fully reclaiming the power of the River of Death from two years ago remained a difficult task.
Among the souls Alucard had recently re-acquired into the River Styx's stock, only three of significance remained: Shiki the Golden Lion, Dragon, and Zephyr. He had reclaimed them during the battle at the summit of Mariejois.
While the physical bodies stored within the River of Death had been destroyed when Alucard "died," the souls remained.
In simpler terms, Alucard could use the Blood Inheritance technique to manifest their powers and Devil Fruit abilities within himself, but he could no longer summon them physically through the River of Death.
Unless, of course, he provided them with a fresh corpse to inhabit.
"Why does this feel like the Edo Tensei?" Alucard muttered to himself.
Hancock and the other women nearby looked at him with confusion. What on earth is "Edo Tensei"?
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a fierce gale whipped by. Hancock gave a sharp wave of her hand, and the pool of blood beneath her condensed into a weapon which she hurled toward the shore.
The arrow-shaped bolt of blood let out a piercing sound as it struck something. Near the coastline, an object slowly began to materialize—a ship, a massive one.
The hull of the ship now sported two gaping holes, courtesy of Hancock's strike.
"NO! NO! We aren't enemies!"
A short man wearing a winter coat and a peaked cap, with a tachi strapped to his back, stood on the railing waving his hands frantically. "We are here on the orders of the three Lords of the Donquixote Alliance to deliver a message to Alucard-sama!"
The flags on the pirate ship were emblazoned with three "T"s: T.T.T.
This was the emblem of the Donquixote Alliance, representing the three initials of Donquixote, Treasure, and Tesoro.
Koala looked at the panicked, short man on the railing. "That's Psycho P, a subordinate of the Warlord Treasure. He's a Color-Color Fruit user. Did he use his ability to turn the ship transparent?"
Koala's gaze shifted, scanning the people on the Alliance ship one by one. "Baby 5 and Giolla from Doflamingo's crew... Tanaka, Tesoro's confidant..."
"What does Doflamingo want?" Alucard asked indifferently.
Tanaka used his Phase-Phase Fruit powers to instantly phase onto the island. He presented an invitation before Alucard. "The three Lords have discovered something of immense importance. They hope Alucard-sama will graciously accept it."
Alucard didn't take the invitation from Tanaka's hand; he simply vanished from the spot, leaving the visitors stunned.
At that moment, the tremors rocking Ursaharo intensified. Hancock gestured to her crew. "Board the ship! This island is about to collapse!"
Tanaka and his group were bewildered by the sudden turn of events, but with no other choice, they hurriedly retreated back to their vessel.
…
The world's largest entertainment city and headquarters of the Donquixote Alliance: Gran Tesoro.
Inside the private VIP lounge of the three leaders, a round, cantaloupe-shaped golden Devil Fruit sat inside a transparent case in front of Donquixote Doflamingo.
"The Government has fallen. The collapse of the Warlord system is only a matter of time. We must make preparations as early as possible... Fuffuffuffu!"
Treasure sat by the billiard table on the other side of the room, while Gild Tesoro sat on a sofa behind them. Beside him sat a woman with shoulder-length purple hair and a seductive aura. Her name was Carina, the star singer of Gran Tesoro.
"But is it really wise to constantly curry favor with the Immortal? Money is everything! With enough money, you can buy the world!" Tesoro said with a hint of madness.
Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses and sneered. "Absolute power exists in this world, Tesoro. You'd best learn to be smart."
Doflamingo picked up the Devil Fruit and laughed maniacally. "Whitebeard's power, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. There isn't a soul alive who wouldn't want this! Fuffuffu... Fuffuffuffuffuffu!!!"