"Alucard-san, I've taken the liberty of agreeing to something on your behalf."
Having finished resupplying at Amystia, as the Kuja Pirates prepared to head for the next royal territory, Koala walked up to Alucard's side with a beaming smile.
Alucard spared her a brief glance before returning his focus to the ancient tome resting on his crossed legs.
Unfazed by Alucard's indifference, Koala whispered, "Two billion Berries a year in exchange for flying the Immortal Pirates' flag over Amystia."
Standing nearby, Sandersonia saw that Koala had acted on her own authority. Fearing Alucard might be enraged, she grabbed Koala by the shoulders and pulled her back. "Koala, how can you take such liberties?"
Sandersonia's reprimand was a front; she was actually protecting Koala, terrified that Alucard might take offense and draw his gun.
"Is that so?"
Alucard uttered only those three words before falling silent again. His lack of reaction left Sandersonia stunned, but she breathed a sigh of relief, at least there was no trouble.
In truth, when the King of Amystia heard the news, this was exactly what he had in mind.
His kingdom had been utterly helpless against a third-rate pirate crew with a captain worth a mere 60 million. If he didn't take drastic measures, his country would eventually crumble.
In times like these, the emblem of the Immortal was clearly a far greater deterrent to pirates than the Marine ensign.
Paying two billion a year to fly the Immortal Pirates' colors was a deal the King would happily take; he'd likely wake up laughing from the sheer relief.
"Using a flag in exchange for protection? It's just like the Heavenly Tribute the Allied Kingdoms used to pay the World Nobles," Scarlett remarked from the side.
"No, no."
Koala wagged her index finger playfully in disagreement. "The nations paid the Heavenly Tribute unwillingly. Now, they are more than happy to pay us 'protection money.' You didn't see how overjoyed the King of Amystia was when the deal was struck."
Having said her piece, Koala sat cross-legged on the deck and flipped through a map. "The next nearest Allied Kingdom is... the Niaizu Kingdom. It's very close."
"Koala, what are you planning?" Sandersonia asked, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over her.
"Preparing to expand our territory, of course," Koala said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "This way, even without plundering resources, a never-ending stream of wealth will flow into the crew every year."
"Hey, you aren't planning to put our mark on all the former Allied Kingdoms of the World Government, are you?"
Viola cast a worried glance at Alucard and lowered her voice to Koala. "Alucard might not like that."
"He only said he doesn't care; he never said he doesn't like it." Koala patted her chest with supreme confidence. "Relax, I'll handle everything."
Hancock stepped forward then, keeping Alucard's primary interests at the core. "For now, our goal is destroying the remaining four royal territories. Everything else is secondary."
"Understood~~"
Koala knew better than to cross that line. She obediently recorded the coordinates of Niaizu, planning to return and negotiate with the rulers there once the mission to destroy the thrones was complete, hoping their nations wouldn't fall before then.
"Oh, right, I also need to give Morgans a call..."
Koala muttered to herself. At this moment, she didn't look like a pirate; she looked like a seasoned political operative.
Sandersonia, who spent a lot of time with Koala, wasn't surprised. Ever since Koala had been rescued, she had always been passionate about such matters. Now that Alucard had crushed the Government and given her this opportunity, there was no way she wouldn't showcase her talents.
The World Economy Newspaper, once the official mouthpiece of the World Government, had now become the pen of the Immortal Pirates.
They wrote whatever they were told to write. Though, to be fair, that was exactly how the Government used to operate.
The day after Koala's call to Morgans, the news that Amystia, a former Allied Kingdom, was now flying the Immortal Pirates' flag became the headline of the day.
The Amystia incident didn't cause much of a stir in the pirate world; it wasn't particularly strange for a nation to seek the protection of a Great Pirate crew. Whitebeard protecting Fish-Man Island and other small islands in the past was a prime example.
However, the news caused a sensation among the various nations.
The Allied Kingdoms, who had been living in terror since the collapse of the Government, suddenly had an epiphany. Of course! That's an option!
Even including the Government forces led by Kong, the number of available personnel was simply too few.
The chaos across countless nations was more than they could handle. Many countries had already given up hope on Marine intervention.
Amystia had set a precedent: surrender to Alucard.
Since he had defeated the Government, it proved he was stronger than the Government. If you couldn't be his enemy, then become his subject.
In a single day, over twenty countries across the world responded, expressing their willingness to submit to the Immortal Pirates.
Alucard was unaware of this, and even if he were, he wouldn't have the slightest interest.
But while Alucard remained in the dark, the Marines were fully aware.
After leaving Mariejois, Kong had led tens of thousands of Government troops to join the Marine Headquarters, the former Marine G-1 Branch.
When intelligence arrived reporting how many nations were willing to surrender to Alucard, Kong flew into a towering rage, nearly smashing his desk to splinters.
Standing nearby, Tsuru remained remarkably calm. She said flatly, "We can't really blame them. Even adding the troops you brought, Commander-in-Chief, we can't handle this many crises. Without the prospect of Marine aid, it's not surprising these nations would turn to pirates."
"..."
Kong let out a mournful sigh. He looked as if he had aged twenty years; his hair had turned from silver-white to a stark, snowy white.
Sengoku, sitting in the Fleet Admiral's chair, didn't look much better. His hair was still black, but only because it was dyed.
Garp was deep in thought, but he was also considering another matter: the recent news that his grandson, Luffy, had formed a Pirate Alliance with Law of the Heart Pirates.
"In that case, let's just surrender, seniors."
Suddenly, a figure stepped into the Fleet Admiral's office and spoke.