Kong convened a late-night Marine meeting, summoning all officers ranked Rear Admiral and above who were stationed at Headquarters for an emergency session. After instructing a civilian official to thoroughly recount the sequence of events, Kong sat at the main seat of the round table and said, "That is the situation. What does everyone think we should do? Should we reinforce defenses in the East Blue, and if so, how? Or should we halt the World Nobles' inspection tour? If we halt it, what method should we use?"
Everyone exchanged glances, momentarily unable to decide. Indeed, if it were Whitebeard, they wouldn't be so flustered. Whitebeard had plenty of experience drifting across the four seas, and though he hadn't been to the East Blue, if he went, they would simply assume the Whitebeard Pirates were traveling as before.
But Alucard going was different. He absolutely had a purpose; he wouldn't go to the weakest of all seas merely for a sightseeing trip.
And the highly important World Nobles' inspection tour, scheduled for one week later, made it easy to connect the two events.
Could Alucard truly be planning to make a move against the World Nobles? "Tsuru, what are your thoughts?" Kong turned and asked Tsuru.
The old woman crossed her arms, resting her chin on the back of her hands. After pondering for a moment with her eyes closed, she said, "Precautions are an absolute necessity. We must strengthen security in the East Blue. However, the greater issue is preventing the World Nobles' tour. Regardless of the Immortal Pirates' objective, the safety of the World Nobles must be
absolutely guaranteed."
The Immortal Pirates was another term for the Alucard Pirates, just as some people referred to the Kaido Pirates as the Beasts Pirates—both referring to the captain's moniker.
Tsuru's suggestion met with nods of approval from the other officers. Sengoku, seated nearby, shook his head, looking troubled. "But stopping those idiots is no simple task. If I had a choice, I'd rather go capture a Pirate."
World Nobles act without regard for consequences, and the Yonko pay no heed to the World Nobles. Therefore, the Government and the Marines constantly try everything to prevent any collision between the two.
This time, however, the situation had caught them completely off guard.
"We must stop it nonetheless. Not just for the safety of the World Nobles' lives, but this also concerns the dignity of our Marine justice!" Kong raised his voice considerably.
"Yes, sir!"
The officers all stood up, their voices resonating with vigor.
The Marines received their intelligence, and the Revolutionary Army was no exception. Their intelligence system was not much inferior to the Marines', and furthermore, the East Blue was Dragon's "starting ground."
In the town of Shifte, Dragon's face grew increasingly dark as he listened to his subordinate's report. Ivankov, standing beside him, covered his mouth, his face turning pale.
By the time the subordinate finished speaking, Dragon's face was indescribably black. Just then, Urdaha laughed from the cage behind him. "What's wrong? Are you getting scared before we've even met?!"
Dragon clenched his fist, fighting the urge to kill Urdaha. Although he was composed and calm, he was still human and possessed his own emotions.
Alucard had sailed to the East Blue, he hadn't even headed toward Shifte Island.
If Alucard didn't care about the lives of his subordinates or the exposure of his connection with Vegapunk, Dragon would simply view him as utterly cold-blooded and lawless.
But Alucard heading to the East Blue completely exceeded his expectations.
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Were you scared stiff? Could you tell me what's happening? Did the Captain send too many troops? Or did the Government discover your whereabouts? Or perhaps... was someone important to you targeted?"
Urdaha, tightly bound by chains in the cage, kept chattering relentlessly. When he mentioned the third possibility, Dragon's eyelid twitched violently. A chill crept up his spine.
"Haha! The leader of the Revolutionary Army actually has people he cares about! We heard many rumors about you, and we thought you were a cold-blooded fellow!"
Urdaha's defeat by Dragon was an absolute source of resentment. Seizing this opportunity, he relentlessly attacked Dragon. "Hey, hey, can you tell us? Is it a lover? An old mother? Or a son or daughter?"
"Yeah! Won't you tell us?"
"Speaking of which, with a face like yours, could a woman fall for you?"
It wasn't just Urdaha; many of his subordinates also began mocking Dragon. Ivankov, seeing Dragon about to lose his temper, quickly stood up to intervene. "Whoa! Calm down! Dragon, if you kill them, we'll be in trouble! They are important hostages for the exchange!"
Dragon heard this, unclenched his tight fist, feeling utterly stifled. After several long minutes, he finally spoke. "Prepare to set sail. We are heading to the East Blue."
"I understand. I'll prepare immediately."
....
East Blue.
The Immortal Pirates' fleet was sailing.
Wolf and the battleships bearing Alucard's flag were cruising side-by-side in the East Blue. Matthew walked to the ship's rail and requested an instruction from Alucard, who was seated on the throne on Wolf's back. "Captain, we are running low on supplies. There happens to be a small village ahead; we could resupply there."
"Then let's stop for a bit. What is the Marines' movement like?" Alucard asked.
"Yes, sir. There are currently no reports in the news. They must be trying to control public opinion, but we don't know what the Marines are planning," Matthew replied.
"The Government's pathetic methods," Alucard said disdainfully.
Suddenly, the navigator standing atop the mast lowered his telescope and called down, "Alucard- sama, Boss Matthew! The village ahead appears to be occupied by a pirate crew!"
Matthew's eyebrow shot up when he heard this. He looked up and angrily shouted, "Seriously! Is that small detail something you need to report? Just go ashore, kill them, and take the supplies!
That's all there is to it!"
"My apologies, my apologies!"
The navigator bowed repeatedly. He then used his telescope to look at the flag near the small town and muttered to himself, "The flag is a shark? Is there such a pirate crew?"
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