"Now do you understand what our captain meant?"
Penguin handed the Underworld bounty poster to Nami, shrugging helplessly. "Even though this was issued as a personal bounty by Bartolomeo, in the eyes of the Underworld, you are now officially enemies of the Immortal Pirates. Those looking to join the Immortals will be desperate to use your heads as their letter of recommendation. More importantly, most people are terrified of crossing the Immortals, so they'll treat you like a walking plague."
"That's all the warning you get. You'd better wrap your heads around your current situation."
With that, Penguin and the others prepared to leap back onto the Polar Tang.
Just then, a flock of News Coos soared overhead. Two of them, without waiting for a signal, spotted the emblem on the Polar Tang's sail and dove down instantly, delivering newspapers to Law and Bepo.
"Oh, it's the World Economy Newspaper."
Penguin and the crew huddled around Bepo.
"Why did the News Coos give you the paper without being asked?" Sanji asked, confused.
Penguin explained as he unfurled the paper: "Morgans, the president of the World Economy Newspaper, is essentially Alucard-sama's mouthpiece now. He's also the world's biggest breeder of News Coos. When they see the Immortal Pirates mark on our sails, they deliver the news proactively."
"That's... that's incredible..."
Chopper gasped. The others were once again struck by the terrifying reach of the Immortal Pirates' power, as they had even begun to infiltrate the global news media.
"Wh-What is this?!"
Penguin let out a loud cry as he read the headline. On the deck of the Economy Newspaper, Law's expression also turned grave.
Luffy and the others crowded around to see. The front-page headline screamed: [The World's Largest Entertainment City, Gran Tesoro, Launches a Death Match Tournament! The Winner Will Claim Whitebeard's Devil Fruit—The Strongest Paramecia, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!]
Below the headline was a photograph showing Donquixote Doflamingo holding a golden, cantaloupe-shaped fruit: the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"The world's strongest power... the Tremor-Tremor ability..."
At the sight of this, Penguin and the others began to drool. Recalling Whitebeard's awe-inspiring display during the Paramount War, they couldn't help but shout at Law: "Captain, let's enter! Can I eat it? Please?!"
"Penguin, you bastard! The Tremor-Tremor Fruit should be mine!"
"I wonder what Bepo would look like if he ate it?"
The Heart Pirates devolved into a chaotic argument, while the Straw Hat crew fell into a serious discussion.
"Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor power... a bloodbath is going to erupt across the world as people fight to get their hands on that," Nami said, her heart racing as she remembered the scenes from Marineford.
"Luffy's brother will never sit idly by," Zoro added solemnly.
Everyone nodded in somber realization. It was true, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates would never allow the Old Man's power to fall into just anyone's hands.
"It won't just be Whitebeard's crew," Zoro continued. "Blackbeard won't let this go, either."
The consensus was clear: Blackbeard would never watch from the sidelines while the Tremor-Tremor Fruit slipped through his fingers.
"Alright! We're going to that Kuran Tesolo place too!" Luffy shouted, waving his arms.
"It's Gran Tesoro," Nami corrected, clutching her forehead.
"Wait a minute, you lot!"
Law used his Op-Op Fruit ability to Shambles himself onto the Thousand Sunny, warning the group: "That place is the territory of the Donquixote Alliance. It's the last place we should be going right now. A battle between Kaido and Joker could break out at any moment. Do you want to die?"
"Ace and the others will be there, so I have to go!" Luffy insisted stubbornly. "I won't let that guy Blackbeard catch Ace again."
"Well, if the Captain says we're going, we're going," Zoro said with a smirk. "An arena, huh? Sounds interesting."
"You people..."
Law was speechless, his throat tight with frustration. His entire plan had been completely derailed. He clutched his forehead, thinking rapidly. Fine... I'll just have to adjust the plan slightly.
With that thought, Law's eyes turned cold beneath his flat cap as he swept a dark glance over Luffy's crew. I'm sorry, Straw Hat-ya. By changing the plan now, there's a ninety percent chance you won't make it out alive...
…
As Luffy and the others suspected, on a small island in the final reaches of the New World, formerly Whitebeard's territory, Ace, the acting captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, stood up abruptly after reading the news.
"Pops' power... I won't let it fall into anyone's hands! Teach will definitely be gunning for it. We move out!"
"Ace..." The Whitebeard Pirates looked at him with concern.
"Let's go," Marco said. "Even if it's a trap, we have to step into it. Pops' power cannot be given to anyone else, yoi."
Jozu, Vista, and the others all voiced their agreement. The entire crew was unanimous.
…
"Zehahaha! Pulling out a treasure like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit... what are you planning, Doflamingo?"
On another island in what was once Whitebeard's territory, Blackbeard Teach had also seen the news. Although he drooled at the image of the fruit in Doflamingo's hand, he was thinking rationally about why Doflamingo would do this.
Even if Doflamingo gave it to a subordinate or sold it, it made no sense to offer such a treasure as a prize in a tournament. What was the goal?
"Wiiihahaha! Captain, so are we going or not?" Burgess asked with a loud laugh.
Teach didn't hesitate for a second. "Of course! Pops' power is worth any risk. Men, set sail!"
…
Inside a hyper-luxurious VIP suite at Gran Tesoro.
Alucard sat on a sofa with his legs crossed. The coffee table before him was laden with expensive red wines. To the side of the suite stood a line of exceptionally beautiful maidens, waiting for his every command.
"The preparations for the death match are proceeding smoothly."
Doflamingo stood by the window on the other side of the room, looking out at the Golden City. He chuckled. "Word just came in today that the Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates are already heading this way. Things are getting more interesting by the second."
The corner of Alucard's mouth curled into a smirk. "We need to pick the most 'suitable' fellow to eat it. I hope that guy Teach doesn't disappoint me."
"Fuffuffufu... it seems you have something specific in mind. I can't wait to see it," Doflamingo said with a wicked grin.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]